Wherever You Will Go
by Becjen80
Summary: A murder and abduction case - Just what the team at the twelfth need to ease the growing tensions. Perhaps it will be exactly what the troubled partnership of Castle and Beckett need.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter one.**

Kate Beckett closed the door behind her and sighed heavily. The evening had dragged by, despite having spent it sharing a drink with the very handsome Detective Colin Hunt. Kate looked at the clock hanging on her wall, and then groaned, seeing it had only just gone nine o'clock. She was restless, fidgeting with strap on her waist (which holstered her gun). She kicked herself for going out, rather than staying at the precinct and unloading her frustrations on the shooting range. Swaying on her feet, after outdrinking the detective of Scotland Yard, she headed in the direction of her bedroom. Beckett un-holstered her gun, and placed in the draw beside her bed. Without even removing her shoes, she fell into bed and delved into a light, haunted sleep.

Kate snapped awake. The familiar, shrill tone of her mobile phone awoke her from another nightmare. She stared at the time on her bedside clock before answering. She had barely been asleep for an hour before this interruption to her slumber occurred. She looked hopefully at the phone, but was disappointed when it wasn't 'him' calling.

"Beckett." She answered groggily.

"Yo, you still awake?" Esposito hollered.

"Well," She paused, stretching he rather tight neck. "I am now."

"Right. Well, just making sure you're alright anyways." He said, warily. He was well aware that Beckett wasn't one to discuss her feelings. Especially with him.

"Oh." Beckett said, surprised. She threw her legs over the side of the bed. Curious as to why this phone conversation was even happening. It was a rarity that Javier would call her unless it was connected with a case. Still, it was nice of him to care, she thought. Realising, she hadn't yet given a coherent response, she heard her colleague shifting what sounded like papers.

"Yeah, fine. You still at the precinct?"

"Yeah, had some paperwork to finish up. Gates was asking after you." The reason for this call became clear.

"Oh? What'd she want?" She asked inquiringly.

"Not sure. Relax, I'm sure it's nothing. She seemed chirpy enough." He added, chuckling at the thought of a chirpy Captain Gates.

"That's possible?" Beckett replied. A little life in her voice now, despite how she felt inside. "Shall I ring her in the morning then?" She continued as she let out a small laugh with Javier.

"May as well. She just said she needed to ask you a few questions. Nothing that couldn't wait though." Esposito explained. "Anyhow, I've obviously woken you, so sorry. Get some rest yeah?" He said as a genuine concern crept into his voice.

"Thanks, Espo. I was just dozing, so no harm done. I'll catch you tomorrow." Kate said, shortly. Hanging up after he said his goodbyes. She knew he rang to check up on her, waiting to ask how she was doing. He was obviously well aware of the change of air at the precinct between her and her partner. It was becoming more noticeable by the days. His phone call reminded her of this fact and returned her to feelings of melancholy. She got up, not inclined to return to bed when nightmares and the usual pleasant dreams of him, faded into one. Upon reaching the kitchen, Kate poured herself a glass of scotch. A drink she seldom drank, although saved for moods like the current one she happened to be in. She sat at the counter, gulping down the golden liquid. It burned her throat, but this only encouraged her to drink more, adding to the adequate amount she'd had already that evening. Kate Beckett sat with her head in her hands, tears beginning to well in her eyes. She was so confused. Confused as to why he was doing this her. Why he was pulling away, without even giving her a reason. She felt like she was losing her best friend, and despite her best efforts at maintaining their connection, she was losing him right before her eyes. Perhaps this is how he felt when the same happened to him. Except, he wasn't dying.

She woke on the couch the following morning. Her head seared with pain as the light filtered through the blinds, into her eyes. She sat up, nausea flooded her body. Slowly, her mind began piecing together the events of the following night that had lead her to pass out on the couch. The sinking realisation that it had been the same reason as the past few nights made her want to drink even more and start the whole process over again. However, her body was not craving alcohol at this current moment, but coffee. Beckett stood slowly, steadying herself as the ground began to spin. Eventually, she made her way over to the coffee machine and began her morning in the usual manner.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two. **

Beckett arrived at the twelfth, running an hour later than her now scowling boss would have preferred. Immediately, Gates moved into the doorway of her office and motioned for Beckett to follow her in.

"Beckett. May I ask where you have been?" She asked, with no sound understanding in her tone.

"Ah, I slept through my alarm, Sir. It won't happen again." Beckett stammered, hoping that Gates wouldn't notice the dark rings around her eyes and the faint smell of alcohol she couldn't shake, despite all the teeth brushing in the world.

Gates stared at her intensely for a moment longer than Beckett would have preferred. She then motioned for Kate to take a seat. Kate did not like the direction this meeting was taking.

"Rough night?" Gates asked, with a sudden tone of softness.

"Sorry, Sir?" Beckett returned, quizzically.

"Are you getting enough sleep, Kate?" Gates asked.

"Erm, only as much as the job allows, Sir."

Gates smiled. "Do you know why I want to talk to you, Kate?"

Beckett shifted uncomfortably in the leather chair. "No." Kate answered shortly. Trying to keep all emotion from her voice.

"I see." Gates remained standing, shifting papers on her desk. "I wanted to talk to you about Mr. Castle."

Beckett's stomach dropped. This was the exact topic she had been avoiding. Surely she didn't know something was up? "Right." Beckett replied.

"He has been an invaluable asset to this team, as much as it pains me to say it. I have been thinking that perhaps it's time for Mr. Castle to think about getting his own badge. Joining the force."

Beckett was shocked at the way the conversation had turned. She was suddenly able to compose herself, as the topic of her deteriorating relationship with her partner remained untouched by the Captain.

"Well...well that's certainly one way of...doing things." Beckett stammered, unsure of how to answer to such a proposal.

"You disagree?" Gates raised her eyebrows, curious as to why Beckett would resist on such a topic. Or any topic regarding Castle.

Beckett picked up on her questioning her resistance. Replying quickly, and feigning a smile. "I think it's an excellent idea, Sir. Would you like me to talk to him about it?"

"If you could, I'd appreciate very much." Gates sat down, obviously dismissing the detective from their meeting.

Beckett stood, then paused. Suddenly wary of why Gates would suggest such a thing. "Sir? May I just ask why this sudden...change of heart, regarding Castle?"She worded it carefully, not insinuating that she hadn't noticed her boss's distaste for her partner.

"Well, let's just say the mayor may well be out of office soon." Gates replied, her steel -like tone returning.

"So it's either become a part of the force or leave?" Beckett asked, becoming angry at Gate's ulterior motives. Gates didn't answer, just stared smugly at Kate, as she Beckett stood open-mouthed in front of her boss.

"That will be all, Detective Beckett." Gates dismissed Kate with a flick of her hand. Kate left the office fuming, doing her best not to slam the door behind her. She headed towards the break room for coffee, pausing instantly as she saw her partner standing by the coffee machine. She stood stock still, ignoring the fluttering in her stomach as she avoided his eye contact. She was mad now, not at Gates, but at him. Her brief meeting with Iron Gates had taken her mind off this man that had so plagued her waking and non-waking thoughts. Castle moved backwards as Beckett startled him. He spilt hot water on himself in the process of doing so. It seared his skin and he made an audible gasp of pain. With this, Beckett's mind kicked into action again as she reached for his hand to make sure he was okay. He flinched when she touched him and pulled back from her. She pretended to not notice and turned the cold tap on in the sink. She grabbed his hand again, gently and pulled him forward so as his hand fell under the cold stream. He was in too much pain to argue, although she felt his strong resistance to her touch. With that, she turned on her heel and left him alone in the break room.

Castle tensed as she felt her enter the room. Her gaze would not find his as she stood stock frozen in the doorway. In watching her, he proceeded in spilling hot water from the coffee machine on his hand. He became angry at himself for letting her distract him. He said he could turn the switch off. The switch that was his love for her. Suddenly she was touching his hand and trying to help him. He pulled away, trying to avoid contact with her. It was the only way he could keep his mind from wandering back to her and the switch off. When he stepped away from her, he saw the look in her eyes. One of deep pain and sadness. One of rejection. He looked away as she grabbed his arm and put it under the tap. She then left the room briskly without looking back. He bowed his head and sighed deeply. The pain in his burnt hand felt like nothing compared to how her felt when her saw her eyes. He knew the look in her eyes was because of him. And for a moment, he was almost sorry


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three. **

Beckett left the precinct quickly, trying to hold back the tears that welled in her eyes yet again. Just as she reached her car to drive home, her phone rang.

"What." She snapped.

"Um, Beckett?" It was Ryan. She composed herself and sucked in air. Maybe a murder was what she needed to quell her rapid thoughts.

"Yeah Ryan, I'm here. Sorry. What have we got?"

"Pop and drop, on Lexington and 49th."

"I'll be there in twenty." She said, stepping into her car. Kate sunk into the comfort of the new leather seat. The image of Castle pulling away from her, like she was plagued burned behind her eyes. She closed them, trying to relieve the aching pressure in her head. Before she pulled out from the curb, she saw Castle walking toward her car, phone in hand. He'd obviously just received the message from Ryan. She faltered. Then drove off, looking at him in her rear view mirror as she accelerated away.

She was briefed about the current case by Ryan and Esposito as soon as she arrived on the scene. Lanie knelt over the body, a grim look on her face. A young girl stared up at Kate with her lifeless green eyes. "Hey Lanie." Kate said.

"Beckett." She replied. "An approximately Seventeen year old female. Shot in the chest. I put the time of death between at about one and three thi..." She was interrupted by the screech of car tyres and the slamming of a car door. Castle emerged from his car. A scowl darkened his usually handsome face. Beckett and Lanie exchanged glances quickly. "What's his problem?" Lanie's eyes seemed to ask. Beckett shot her a look telling her to leave the topic alone. He approached the body they surrounded, avoiding eye contact with Kate. "What's progress, Lanie?" He asked.

She raised her eyebrows at Kate. "Well Castle, as I was just telling Beckett here, we have a female, approximately seventeen with a gunshot to the chest. I estimate time of death between one and three this morning." Lanie explained.

"Any ideas why she was killed? Robbery perhaps?" Castle asked, doing Beckett's job for her. On any other day, she would have liked that, but today it made her blood boil.

"No sign of a struggle and CSU found her wallet with a fair amount of cash in it. Her jewellery looks expensive too. There was no I.D in her wallet, which was weird." She continued, aiming her words at Beckett.

"Thanks Lanie. Anything else?" Beckett asked.

"Uh-huh. She has a strange burn mark on the back of her neck. It's like somebody pushed a cigarette into her."

"Get CSU to sweep for cigarette butts. Maybe we'll get lucky with DNA. Thanks Lanie." Kate said, rising to her feet to stand beside Castle.

They wandered over to Ryan and Esposito who were chatting between themselves. Before reaching them, Castle stopped her. "Didn't you see me waving? Why didn't you give me a lift?" He said, raising his voice a little, proving he was still angry.

Kate played dumb. "What are you talking about?"

"I was waving to you before you pulled out, asking for a lift. Surely you saw me?" He said, perhaps open to the fact that she didn't see him.

"Oh. Sorry, Castle. My mind must have been on other things, I must have missed you. How's your hand?" She said, feeling a little smug. Two can play at this game she thought.

"It's fine. Thanks." He said, clipped. They arrived in front of the two detectives.

"Hey Espo. Got any leads?" Beckett asked.

"Beckett, Castle." Esposito nodded at the two of them in acknowledgment. "Afraid not. We've gone up to a few of the apartments in the area, asking if anybody heard a gunshot last night at all, but it's mainly offices here, so nobody is at work yet to ask. Therefore it's doubtful there was anybody much around to hear anything." He said, exasperated.

"Wait 'til some people start arriving for work, then ask. It might give us something to go on." Beckett ordered the two detectives who nodded back showing their obedience.

Kate turned to Castle, "Meet you back at the precinct then?"

Castle raised his eyes to hers, "Sure." He answered coldly.

Beckett parked her car at the twelfth, and watched as Castle pulled up right next to her. They both exited their cars simultaneously, as they often did.

"So, did you want a coffee before we get down to work?" Beckett asked nervously as they headed into the precinct.

"Sure, I'll go make one." He said, making headway to the break room when they entered the building. Beckett sat at her desk as one of people from CSU handed her a file containing photos of the crime scene. She proceeded to put them up on the murder board, trying to make some headway into a case that so far, had a nameless victim. Castle returned from the break room with two cups of coffee, handing one of them to his partner. He sat in his chair and turned to the murder board, trying to find something that would get the ball rolling on this case. His eyes focussed on the cigarette burn on the girls' neck.

"Any idea why that'd be there?" He asked, breaking the awkward silence between them.

"The burn?"

Castle nodded. Beckett thought for a moment, eyes narrowing as she concentrated on a possible conclusion. Castle stared at her as she looked up at the murder board. He loved the look on her face when she was thinking deeply. Immediately, he caught himself thinking of her in such a way and got up abruptly. This broke Beckett's focus as she jumped at his sudden movement. She caught a glimpse of Castle's face as he began to walk away from her desk. It was vacant and behind his eyes was a storm. A festering darkness that had been building for weeks.

"Castle?" She called after him. He turned towards her, but did not look at her.

"I'll...I'll be back later. There's something I forgot to do is all. Um...call me if anything comes up yeah?" He lied, obviously.

"Okay. Sure." She said as she sunk back into her chair. What was going on with him? She thought, confused at his mood swings. She turned back to the murder board and sighed, looking at the watch on her wrist. She realised that Lanie would still be examining the body for at least another hour and the boys were not yet back from the offices near the murder scene. Kate grabbed her coat, suddenly noticing the gripping feeling of hunger in her stomach, and went to get lunch.

He was angry at himself again. For the second time that day for letting his mind wander to her. He left the station as fast as he could, attempting to mask his anger. God he loved her. Every time her entered her presence his body cried out to touch her. His arms wanted to reach out and hold her close to him. He sat in the back of his car, heart pounding in his chest. Moments later, he saw Kate walking towards him.

"Shit." He cursed loudly as he lay down on the seat of his car, hoping the tinted windows shadowed him. A loud knock came on the car door and Beckett looked at him quizzically as he lay there, through the glass.

"Detective Beckett." Castle replied, as she opened the door.

"Erm...what are you doing?" She questioned, unaware of what she just walked in on.

He sat up promptly, plastering a smile on his face. "Oh, just dropped something underneath my seat."

"Right." She said, raising her eyebrows in her usual style. "Did you want to come and get a bite to eat?"

"Oh...no, i'm fine thanks." He said, going back to pretending to reach under the seat for a foreign object. Kate stifled a laugh. He looked up at her, curious as to what she was laughing at. "What?"

"Nothing Castle, you just look so comfortable there." Making point to the odd angle his body was sticking at. He stared at her blankly, as her eyes lit up when they reached his. "Here, let me help, I'm smaller." Becket said, hovering in the car doorway.

"No." Castle said, sitting bolt upright. "I've got it."As he subtly removed his keys from his pocket and made it look like he just retrieved them from underneath the driver's seat. "See?" He said, holding them up. It was obvious that Beckett pretended to play along with Castle's little game here.

"Come on, come get lunch?" She pleaded as he escaped the back of the car to stand in front of her.

"Perhaps next time, I really do need to get home and fix that...thing up...that I said I had to do." He stammered lamely. Beckett sighed as he clambered into his car, pulling out of the driveway.

"Right. Next time." She said flatly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four. **

Beckett's mobile buzzed as she sat a table eating a burger from Remy's.

"Beckett." She said with a mouthful of food.

"Hey girl! I'm finished down here. Wanna come see what I found?" Lanie asked brightly.

Beckett wiped her mouth and left few bank notes on the table. "I'll be right there." She said. Finally maybe the case was getting somewhere.

Ten minutes later, Kate entered the morgue and found Lanie examining a clipboard.

"Hey Lanie. What'cha got for me?"

"Hey Beckett. You're gonna like this one, girl." Lanie replied.

"Yeah, I better." Kate mumbled. Lanie eyed her quizzically, but continued on with her job, uncovering the body for Kate to see.

"Okay, so there was gunshot residue on her clothes, suggesting that she was shot at close range. The slug we pulled from the vic was a .45. There's no sign on her body that she put up a fight, despite having the back of her neck burnt before being shot. If in fact the burn occurred before she was killed." Lanie explained, without the need to glance at her clipboard.

"That's it? Can you tell me who she is?" Beckett asked, exasperated.

"Nuh-uh, but I may be able to soon. She had a wire on the back of her bottom teeth. It had a serial code on it, so I've sent it off for identification, so we should have the name of our vic within the next 24 hours." Lanie grinned, knowing she'd made Kate's day.

"You're too good, Lanie." Beckett replied, with a small smile. She was hoping that the make-up she applied this morning covered the dark rings under her eyes. Her friend saw straight through such things however.

"How're you doing, Kate?" She asked, putting down her clipboard and covering up the body on the table. Her face was kind as she waited for her friend to answer honestly.

"I'm fine, Lanie." Beckett forced a smile, despite the empty feeling in her gut that food did not fill. Lanie rose her eyebrows, showing her disbelief. "Okay, I'm not great. But I'm coping." She told a half truth.

"He's still doing it? Pulling away?" Lanie enquired.

Kate sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "Yeah. Yeah he is. Now he's avoiding me too, and not even bothering to cover it up." Her heart ached as she confessed the truth to her best friend.

Lanie stood next to her girlfriend and put an arm tightly around her shoulder as tears began to streak Beckett's cheeks. How could somebody who supposedly loved her so much, start treating her like she didn't exist? Just as Lanie began to stem the tide of tears spilling from Kate's eyes, Castle walked in the door.

"I called over an hour ago, Castle. What do you want?" Lanie snapped, moving in front of Kate so as to hide her crying friend.

"I...um. Sorry?" He said, not having noticed Kate's face. He stepped forward to pick up Lanie's clipboard. She snatched it from her and in doing so, revealed Beckett's tear stained face.

"I...need to go." He backed away, a look of horror on his face. He tore from the room, leaving the two women staring at each other.

Kate motioned with her hand towards the now swinging door. "See what I mean?" She choked.

"Go home, Kate. I'll give you a lift, just let me clean up here and I'll be right out. Go wait by the car yeah?" Lanie said. Kate mustered a nod and headed towards the elevator, checking to make sure he wasn't on it before she boarded it.

Beckett waited for Lanie by her car. Darkness began to close in as night was falling. She shivered a little as a light breeze went through her bones. She should have waited in the car where it was warm, but she felt the need to wander, so she walked toward the dumpster around the side of building, still keeping the car in view in case Lanie came. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her and before she could un -holster her gun, she felt a searing pain upon the back of her neck. He was quick, tying her hands and filling her mouth with cloth so she couldn't scream. The man (it was obviously a man, as his large muscular body overpowered hers with ease.) took her phone and weapon, and then proceeded to throw her into the trunk of her own car. Darkness ensued, leaving Kate blinded and taken hostage by a possible murderer.

Castle waited at a traffic light, his hands tapping against the wheel impatiently. He'd returned to the precinct as Lanie had called him with a report. When he arrived, he saw Kate's face stained with tears. Tears that he was sure, only he had caused. He ran. Which was ironic in his mind, because it was why he was angry with her in the first place. He was mad that she'd run from his confession, and also run with it. Making him feel like such a fool. A car honked behind him, bringing him back to reality. The lights had changed green and he hadn't noticed. He accelerated but instantly had to brake hard as a car ran straight out in front of him, running a red. He swore loudly as he hit his head on the dash. He looked out at the car that had just nearly killed him, his heart skipping a beat. It was Kate's car. Car's honked him again, as his near crash inconvenienced them greatly. He swore again, and then sped off after the familiar car.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five. **

Castle picked up his phone, dialling Kate's number at he drove quickly. There was no answer so he tried calling Lanie, knowing that she had been the last one to possibly see her.

"What do you want, Castle?" Lanie replied to his call, without a hello.

"Lanie, hey. Look, this is going to sound weird, but is there a reason why Beckett would be speeding and running red lights with her car?" Castle asked, his voice full of concern.

"Wait. What?" Lanie replied. "I told her to wait in the parking lot. I was going to drive her home. Surely she wouldn't do something so stupid." She mused.

"I don't know. Even when she's chasing down a lead, she never drives like that." Castle added.

"Okay, well are you sure it was her?" Lanie asked, all contempt for him gone from her voice now.

"Damn sure. She nearly hit me going through a red. It's her car. Same plates and all." Castle reassured. "Lanie what the hell is going on?" Castle asked, an already obvious question.

"I thought you might be the one who could shed some light on that, actually." Lanie said, her tone becoming venomous. Castle didn't say anything, just braced himself for a torrent of vicious comments from the ME. They didn't come. "Do you have eyes on the car Castle?" Lanie asked, suddenly composed again.

"I do. Following her..." He paused, looking at the signs as he passed by quickly "...East along 46th." He continued. He swerved suddenly and the sound of horns erupted in the air. She was speeding up, and so was he.

"Castle?" He heard Lanie's voice, as he put his phone on speaker and placed two hands on the wheel, concentrating sharply.

"Sorry, close call. Stay on the line, Lanie." He said, as he swerved in a out of the traffic like a madman. "Okay, she's slowing down, there's a red light. I might be able to see her in the mirrors, see if she's upset." Castle thought out loud to the speakerphone. "Shit." He stated.

"Castle? Castle, what is it?" Lanie asked, worriedly. The sound of clicking in the background of the speaker obviously meant she was running.

"Lanie. That's not Beckett driving." Castle said darkly as he caught a glimpse of the driver in his side view mirror. "I've gotta go, Lanie. Try and get the boys to get a trace on her phone. Something is seriously wrong here." He said hanging up the phone and pulling away suddenly after Beckett's black sedan. The car in front of his accelerated away from Castle, the driver obviously aware he was being followed. Castle pushed down on the accelerator to match but he was cut off by a merging taxi. He screamed to a halt as he watched Beckett's car zoom off and head down a side street.

"Shit." He cursed again loudly. Suddenly, he turned his car down the nearest side street, in an attempt to cut them off. He was in luck, as he caught up to her car, which headed towards the dock. He stayed behind a few other cars so it was as obvious he was still following him. The car he was chasing slowed down, so his plan was obviously working. It turned into a small dark alley way. Castle pulled over his car out of view of the alley and jumped out quickly. He opened his trunk and reached for his Kevlar vest, unaware of what danger this man posed. He crept towards, taking out his phone. He turned the camera on and poked it around the corner, taking a photo. He brought the phone back around the corner and looked at what he was faced with. The alley was dark and garbage littered the ground. The car was parked and the man was just getting out of the car. Castle took a deep breath in. The man from the car was huge. His body was no match against this well muscled hulk-like man. He sent Lanie a text of his whereabouts, took a deep breath, and turned the corner to face the burly man square on.

Beckett's eyes adjusted to the dimness of the small space she lay in, realising that it looked awfully similar to the trunk of her own car. It was still too dark to tell however. The car went over a bump and sent her bouncing around, bruising her head and hips and she was thrown against the roof and back down again. It felt as if the car was moving very quickly, as she heard tires screeching and horns blaring around her. The back of her neck stung, knowing that whatever mark was now on it, matched that of the girl lying in the morgue. She tried to reach and touch it but her hands were bound behind her back. She shifted, trying to reach for her gun on her hip. It was gone. Along with her phone so she soon found. She knew this was a new car and that it could possibly have a latch on the inside in case one was ever found in such a situation. It was too dark to see however and her tied hands basically rendered her useless. Kate stopped struggling and tried to think about how to get herself of this situation. No thoughts came, or no useful thoughts anyway. Her mind kept replaying every embrace she had had with Richard Castle. How she longed for another of those moments right now.

After what felt like an age, the car came to a halt and Kate heard the door slam. She prepared herself mentally, wiping the image of Castle out of her mind. She knew that nobody could save her now, not even him. Her jaw clenched as she heard her keys jingling outside the trunk. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the worst. The trunk did not open however. There were suddenly muffled voices outside. She kicked the top of the trunk she lay in, hoping somebody would hear her, but her efforts were muffled by the sound of a gunshot.

The man turned to face Castle, surprised by this sudden intrusion.

"Where is she?" Castle asked intently.

"Excuse me, sir? Is there a problem?" The large man asked, quite innocently.

"You know what I'm talking about." Castle pushed, giving the man options before he kicked his sorry arse. A smile spread across the strangers face, making Castle white hot with anger.

"I'm sorry, you must have the wrong person." The man said slyly, toying with Castle. He slowly reached for the Detective's handgun from the back of his pants, keeping his tone even.

"Keep your hands where I can see them." Castle said, his voice wavering with terror. He needed to know she was okay. After that, he didn't care what happened to him, so long as she was safe.

"I think you've got me confused with someone else. How about you just turn around and leave, before I make you." He spat, there was no hint of a smile on his face now, only malice. Castle saw the man put his hand behind his back, knowing now that he was armed.

"Just hand her over and there won't be a scene, okay? You know who I'm talking about. You're driving her car. Just tell me where she is." Castle pleaded. The man smiled sadistically again, now slowly pointing Beckett's gun on her partner.

"I won't say it again, leave before I make you leave." He called. Castle stood stock still, waiting for the man to make the next move. The stranger sighed and turned the safety off the gun, still pointing it at Castle.

Castle saw a movement from the corner of his eye and noticed a cat slinking in the shadows. Suddenly, there was a loud crash as the cat knocked over some of the garbage and ran across their path. The man with the gun was startled, his eyes leaving Castle's for a split second. Castle took this distraction to run at the man at full pace. The stranger's eyes averted back but Castle had fully approached him. Castle raised his arms as he crashed into the man in an attempt to knock the gun from his hand. There was a loud bang raised by the gun and one of the men crumpled to the ground heavily.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six. **

Sirens filled the air as Castle pulled himself up. Despite the blood pouring from the wound in his leg, he reached for the keys the stranger had dropped as he made his escape. Castle moaned in pain loudly as he knelt and tried to open the trunk of the sedan. His hands were shaking as his body entered shock and he found it difficult to open the lock. Once opened, he fell to the ground and passed out.

Light poured into the trunk, blinding her. She was expecting to see somebody towering over her, but there was nobody. As her eyesight returned due to the light, she found the knife she kept in the trunk and cut the bondage that was holding her hands together. She turned to get out of the trunk but noticed the crumpled figure of the man she so adored, on the ground, bleeding heavily from a bullet wound to the leg. Her heart plummeted at this sight.

"Castle!" She screamed, clambering from the car to kneel by his side. She immediately put pressure onto his leg and begged for him to wake up. Sirens were suddenly blazing in her ears and she hoped to god they were coming in her direction. He began to come to again, his face creased with pain. Castle opened his eyes and fixed them on her, a smile spreading across his face, despite his obvious pain.

"Beckett. Thank god." He exclaimed before passing out again.

He'd lost a lot of blood by the time they reached the hospital, and was immediately taken into surgery upon arrival. The doctor assured Beckett he'd take good care of him.

Tears streaked Kate's face again, she tried wiping at them but then realised the blood on her hands. She began shaking uncontrollably and needed to sit. Lanie appeared at her side and led her to a seat in the waiting room. She wiped Beckett's tears rubbed her back until the shaking stopped. Castle's mother and daughter burst through the doors to the waiting room and joined them, faces lined with worry. Lanie stood and explained to his family that he was in surgery but he was going to be okay. They fell into the chairs beside Kate and Martha stroked Kate's head as she wept silently. Alexis was crying too, but still looked stoic despite it. Lanie took her hand and explained to Castle's daughter what happened. Or what she knew to have happened. She hadn't yet been able to get a coherent answer from Beckett, as she would not leave her partners side to give a statement of the afternoons events.

After what felt like hours, the doctor entered the waiting room.

"He's going to be fine. He lost a lot of blood as the bullet hit an artery on the way through, but everything is fine. You can come and see him now. He'll still be groggy remember." Beckett stood immediately and walked forward. The doctor stopped Kate in her tracks "Ah, family only just for now if you wouldn't mind." The doctor said sharply.

Martha put her hand on Kate's shoulder "She is family." Alexis joined her grandmother in standing by the Detective. Lanie smiled and sat down; pleased her friend was surrounded by such a family.

"First, we'll get you cleaned up hey?" Alexis said gently, motioning to Kate's bloodstained hands.

"Thanks guys. But you should go in first okay? I'll go get cleaned up then come back in about an hour." She said softly, taken aback by the kindness the Castle family were showing her.

"Okay darling." Martha said, hugging Kate goodbye.

Lanie stood and walked Kate to her car, holding her friends arm as she swayed with tiredness.

Kate turned off the taps and stepped from the shower. Her long legs dripped with water and pooled on the floor. After grabbing a towel she moved into her room, where Lanie sat on the end of her bed. She smiled as she saw her friend safe and sound in her own home.

"I'll leave you to it." She said, making her way to the kitchen.

Kate got dressed and dried her hair with the towel. Upon emerging in the kitchen, Lanie greeted her with a bowl of soup and a cup of coffee.

"Smells amazing. Thanks Lanie." Kate said, mid yawn. Lanie smiled at her friend across the counter.

"You can always go and see him tomorrow if you like? You look tired is all." Lanie suggested. Beckett shook her head in protest.

"No, let's go." She said determined, despite the dark rings under her eyes.

Kate stood in the doorway of Castle's hospital room, watching him sleep peacefully. She smiled softly, so thankful for having him there for her. He'd saved her life. Again. She shifted quietly to his bedside and sat, putting her hand in his. He stirred from his sleep and smiled instantly when he saw who was at his side.

"Hey." She said, looking him in the eyes for the first time in weeks. He wiped his eyes of sleep with his free hand and then looked down at Kate's hand in his other. He squeezed Beckett's hand and grinned his big dopey smile, making her laugh. His eyes gleamed as he looked down on her. They shone bright blue for the first time in weeks, unclouded by contempt and pain as they so previously had been.

"Guess I better thank you for saving my life. Again." Kate said brightly.

Castle thought for a moment, as though counting in his head. Kate raised her eyebrows. "I think that's the tenth time. Which means I'm still winning." He said smugly. Beckett raised a pointed finger over his bandaged leg, motioning to poke his bullet wound sharply. He grabbed her hand quickly, startling her. He began to lace his fingers through hers, and to his surprise, she didn't pull away. They sat in a peaceful silence, until both of them drifted to sleep. Beckett's head rested on the thigh of his good leg. Their hands still entwined as they slept.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven. **

Beckett's phone vibrated in her pocket and woke her immediately. She stood up and sighed, unlocking her fingers from Castle's and leaving the room quietly so as not to wake him.

"Beckett." She said sleepily.

"Yo Beckett. You need to get here immediately. We've got another body. Well...just come." Esposito said, exasperated. After telling her the coordinates, Espo hung up.

Beckett walked back into the room where Castle lay, who was now awake and smiling at her presence. She grabbed her coat off the back of the chair.

"They've got another body. I've gotta get down there." She explained. Castle pouted as her partner turned to leave. She turned back to him however, leant down and kissed him on the cheek softly.

"Be good." She said feigning seriousness.

"Send me photos." He said chirpily. Beckett eyed him, raising her eyebrows in question. "Well I can't help much from here." He continued pointing to his bed.

"I will be back soon." She said as she exited the room, leaving him smiling at the thought of her returning.

She arrived on the scene twenty minutes later and was met by Ryan and Esposito.

"What've we got guys? We've already got a case so why is this being handed over to us." Kate asked.

The two detectives glanced at each other. "Well..." Ryan started, gulping down the lump in his throat. "We think they're connected." He finished.

"Yeah, except this one looks like a suicide." Esposito said.

"Then why are we here?" Kate questioned.

"'Cause of what they found on the body." Esposito answered. They began to wander over to the body of the old man.

"They found a .45 and believe he shot himself with the same gun that killed our other vic. Speaking of which, Lanie sent through the I.D of her early this morning. Her name was Tracy Kindle. Nineteen year old and daughter to the well respected and prosperous lawyer, Edward Kindle." Ryan explained, flicking through his notebook.

"Anyways, they think this guy shot himself in the head with the same gun, but ballistics will need to confirm this." Ryan finished. Esposito shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat.

"Is there something else?" Beckett asked, detecting the discomfort shown by the two men. Neither answered as Lanie walked up to them with two evidence bags in her gloved hands.

"Hey Beckett." She greeted, all sensitivity gone from her voice. "Yeah. We found these on the vic." She said handing the two bags to Kate. The first contained a small torn piece of paper, penned with 'K.B. He cannot save you now.' The second was an envelope addressed to her at the precinct.

"What the hell?" She thought out loud.

Lanie, Ryan and Esposito all exchanged glances then turned back to Beckett.

"That's why we're on this case." Ryan finished. A stunned Beckett took out her phone and photographed the crime scene, sending the pictures to Castle straight away. She then turned back to the others still shocked at how this case somehow related back to her. Perhaps her abduction wasn't random after all. The memory of being in the trunk of the car came flooding back to her, something she had blocked from her mind until now.

"Beckett?" Lanie said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You okay?"

Beckett swayed a little on her feet. She realised the only sleep she had had in the past two days was that at her partners hospital bedside. She was exhausted and they still had an unresolved murder, and a suspicious suicide to investigate. "Just tired."

"Go home and get some sleep. Espo and I can get started and we won't know much else about this guy until the autopsy comes back." Ryan said kindly. Beckett nodded her head.

"Keep me updated yeah?" Kate asked, sleepily.

"Of course." Esposito and Ryan replied simultaneously.

Castle reached over to his phone and grimaced as a sharp pain shot through his thigh where he was shot. He closed his eyes and waited for the wave of pain to subside before he opened the message from his partner. He gasped loudly at what he saw. The victims face, although shot through the head, was recognisable to Castle. It was a face he had only glimpsed in a darkened parking lot so many months ago. The man, though aging wore an expensive hand stitched suit. Much the same as the one he wore when they last met. Castle threw his blanket off and despite the searing pain and pull of his stitches; he eased himself into the wheelchair by his bed. Suddenly, he spotted two men dressed in police uniforms walking down the hallway toward his room. Without even thinking, he wheeled himself quickly into the personal bathroom of his hospital room, and locked it. With his ear up to the door, he heard the two uniformed men talking quietly.

"The boss said it's just him and the cop left." One of them said roughly. Castle took out his phone and dialled Kate's number.

"Beckett." He heard her say.

"Kate. Listen, I can't talk loudly but please tell me you have put cops outside my room for protection for some reason?" He asked, his voice rough and low.

"Castle, what are you talking about?" Kate asked, befuddled.

"There's two guys dressed as cops in my room. Except I don't think they're cops. Look, I don't have much time so here's what I know. Those photo's you sent me are of a person I've met. In regards to your mother's case. "

"What the hell are you talking about?" Beckett replied as there came a knock on the bathroom door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter eight.**

"Mr. Castle, NYPD. Just here to ask you a few questions when you're ready." A man asked from outside the door.

"Just a minute." Castle replied to the man.

"Look, Kate. A few months ago, the man in your photos contacted me. He said it was vital for me to keep you away from looking into your own shooting and your mother's case. If I didn't do just that, he said he couldn't guarantee your protection." Castle explained hurriedly. He glanced at the door as there was another knock from the men. "Kate, they're coming for us. They're already here for me, outside this door. Don't hate me for keeping what I did from you; I was only trying to keep you safe. Lock your doors and don't open them to anybody, unless it's Ryan and Esposito. I'm sorry, Kate. I lo..." There was a loud crash as the door burst open.

"Castle? Castle!" Kate screamed down the phone line. She tried to understand what he had just told her. That he had been withholding information about her shooting and her mother's case from her. After hearing the crash and her partner's phone disconnect from the call, she immediately dialled Esposito's number.

"Castle's in danger. Two men dressed as police. At the hospital." She gasped. Her throat was tightening and she hung up the phone. Her first reaction would be to hate him. But she couldn't, not even a little bit. How could she hate the man that had only been trying to save her? From herself and what lay behind the mystery of her attempted murder and the murder of her mother. She was dizzy and she felt the room begin spinning around her as the words "They're already here for me" danced around her mind. Kate crashed to the floor and wretched, as an overload of emotion flooded through her body. There was a noise in the hall outside her door. Upon instinct she moved her hand to her hip to un-holster her gun, which was no longer there. There was no knock, but rather, somebody was picking the lock. She breathed a sigh of relief as she remembered she had a deadlock; nobody could come through that door. The noises at the door stopped suddenly and she heard footsteps leading away hurriedly. Whoever it was, they were running away. Kate's head snapped up as she realised why. There was an explosion as the door was blown off its hinges and into oblivion.

Castle was grabbed by one of the men by the throat and picked up roughly, now standing face to face with the man who shot him. The other uniformed man circled Castle then jabbed him forcefully in the injured leg with his fist. He tried to yell with pain as it ripped through his whole body, but the man holding him up covered his mouth.

"Close that door." He growled at the other man, who obeyed immediately, closing the bathroom door, cancelling all noise coming from Castle's room. Blood now streamed down Castle's leg as the punch had broken his stitches. Although he could not put weight on his leg, he was made to stand by the man holding him by the throat. He grimaced but kept eye contact with the man.

"Richard Castle." The man mused outwardly.

"What can I do for you, officer?" Castle spat bitterly as sweat ran down his face as he tried to stay conscious, despite the pain racking his whole body. The man laughed in Castle's face.

"Think you can write your way out this one?" He said menacingly. Castle coughed, the hand around his throat tightening. He couldn't speak. Words were not going to get him out of this one.

"Thought you were safe did you?" The man asked rhetorically. "Thought you could save her?"

"No. Please." Castle spluttered, pain creasing the lines of his face.

"You've lost, Castle. You and your little girlfriend. You can't stop evil, Mr. Castle. Because eventually..." The man let go of Castle's throat and turned on his heel, opening the door. "...Evil stops you." Castle fell to the floor, quickly losing consciousness. "Kill him." The man said, closing the door as his partner took out Beckett's gun coolly and screwed on a silencer. The world around Castle went black as he lay bleeding steadily on the floor. Again.

Smoke filled her lungs as she pulled herself out from behind the sofa she managed to dive behind, dragging herself toward her bedroom. She stood, on shaky legs, still stunned by the explosion and locked herself in her bedroom. Kate reached for her hip again in her dazed state, as she heard the footsteps of at least one person, entering her apartment.

"Shit." She cursed, louder than she realised, still deafened by the small blast. She needed a weapon; however the NYPD did not issue more than one firearm at a time. She had minutes before they got through the smoke and rubble and picked the lock to her bedroom door. She knelt down beside her bed and lifted a small part of the flooring, revealing a small pistol. She loaded it quickly and steadied herself in front of the door, ready to fire without hesitation. Suddenly, the door burst open and gunshots rang through the smoky air. Bullets whirled past Beckett's head as she ducked and weaved her attacker. She returned fire upon him but missed as he anticipated her attack. Beckett leapt at the man, knocking the gun from his hand and landing a heavy punch to his chest, throwing him backwards and into the wall, which he slid down, winded. Although stunned, the man moved towards his gun. Before he could reach it, Beckett aimed and fired mercilessly two rounds into the man's chest. He slumped over forward, taking his last breaths. Beckett picked up his gun and tucked it into her jeans. She exited the bedroom, and entered back into the living room, pistol raised in anticipation for another attack.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter nine. **

Nurses bustled back and forth through the hospital hallways, completely unaware of the threat to their patients. All but one nurse that is, as Angela Holst continued her rounds and entered Richard Castle's currently empty room. She saw the closed bathroom door and decided to move onto her next patient and return again later. Rough voices coming from the bathroom however made her turn suddenly. She approached the door slowly, about to knock when the door swung open and a police officer exited, slamming the door behind him. The nurse gasped when she caught a brief glimpse of her patient on the floor bleeding, and the other policeman with a gun in his hand. Immediately, the officer in front of her closed the door to the hospital room and closed the shutters. He then advanced upon the small woman and once in front of her, smiled and put his hands up to her shoulders.

"Nothing to worry about." The man said, smiling brightly. The nurse stood speechless as the man's smile quickly turned to a sneer. The man moved his hands so quickly to her face she had no time to react. With one fluid movement of his hands, the nurse dropped to the floor, her neck broken. Suddenly the door burst open and a flow of armour clad men came through, followed by Detective Ryan. The heavily armed team began yelling at the man standing over the body and pointing their guns at him menacingly. Ryan ran to the bathroom door and opened it quickly, gun raised. Without a moment of hesitation, he shot down the man standing above Castle with a gun, who fell against the wall furthest them. He kicked the gun out of reach of the man and knelt down beside Castle, checking his pulse then applying pressure to his leg. After restraining the first man, the team Ryan had followed in entered the bathroom, restraining the injured man dressed as an officer. After he was taken away, doctors flowed in the room, placing Castle on a gurney and sweeping him off to surgery.

Beckett coughed as she entered her living room, which was still full of smoke.

"Beckett!" She heard a yell, detecting Esposito's voice.

"I'm here!" She returned. Relief flooded through her as men dressed in the same armour as that at the hospital, surged through her now, rather large doorway. She stepped over the rubble of what used to be her door.

"Castle?" She choked as Esposito grabbed her arm and held up an exhausted Kate Beckett.

"He's safe." Esposito said. Kate grabbed him unexpectedly and hugged him.

"Thank you." She said repeatedly as Esposito escorted her to an ambulance outside.

They woke up beside each other in separate beds, two police guards stood by the door. Ryan, Esposito, Lanie, the Castle's and Captain Gates filled their hospital room. Some paced, others sat, whilst Ryan and Esposito read through notes. Beckett began to stir; those in the room surrounded her bedside immediately.

"Castle." She said softly, still coming out of sleep. The group exchanged smiles at her first waking word. Her eyes fluttered as she awoke to see her hands bandaged, her bed surrounded by her friends.

"Hey." She said huskily.

"Morning sunshine." Castle's voice drifted over the chatter of the group surrounding Beckett's bed. They all turned to him and welcomed him back to the waking world. His heart stopped when he saw Kate lying in the bed beside him.

"Kate, what happened?" He gushed, attempting to sit up but pain restricting him from doing so.

Kate paused, looking around at the others for support, but they were unable to explain the happenings of the last few days. "Uh...Looks like they got me too, Castle." Beckett replied, with a small smile. His clear blue eyes caught hers. All he wanted to do was lie next to him, to be completely sure they were both still here and alive, together. The group noticed the two staring at each other deeply, like they were having a conversation without words.

Esposito coughed, breaking the moment between the partners. "It's late, we should head off. Still got a case to solve and all." They group nodded with agreement and exited the room hurriedly. Before leaving, Martha and Alexis kissed Castle on the cheek and bid farewell to Kate.

Beckett smiled widely, realising they'd all left due to the look her and Castle just shared. "I'm glad you're okay." Beckett said, breaking the silence that now spread throughout the room. Castle continued to stare at her, as though he didn't believe they'd made it through again, alive.

The two chatted politely, uncertain of what to say about the current situation they now found themselves in. Castle drifted in and out of sleep, but Beckett's mind was whirring. She noticed the case file by her bed. Esposito or Ryan had obviously left it there knowing she'd begin working immediately after she woke. She almost laughed at her predictability. They all knew her too well; despite how much she tried to hide herself from everybody.

Castle woke and turned to face her. "What're you doing?" He slurred sleepily. Beckett closed the file and sighed, not understanding the connections and how they lead back to them. I need you to look at this, when you're ready, Castle. I think you're the only person who can crack this case." Beckett said honestly.

Castle yawned and took the file from Beckett's now outstretched hand. "Wait." He said suddenly, looking at Beckett.

"What?" She asked, surprised at his sudden liveliness, as his body was still being pumped with powerful painkillers that more than likely acted as sedatives. He obviously wanted to sort out this case as much as her.

"Call Ryan, get him to bring the murder board in here." He said.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter ten.**

Lanie stood over the table in the morgue, the body of the young woman spread out in front of her. She was examining the strange burn mark on her neck, poking at the site with a pair of tweezers. Suddenly, she gasped, holding a small object in the tweezers in front of her eyes.

"Oh my God." She said, removing a small chip from the girl's neck. "What the hell?" She asked, the question falling upon dead ears as she took out her phone to dial Detective Beckett's number.

Castle and Beckett sat side by side, their beds pushed together, staring at the murder board in front of them. Arrows pointed this way and that, connecting people and events in as much order as possible.

"So, this man you saw, you never once caught his name?" Beckett asked, finally breaking the silence of the two of them pondering. She'd asked the question before, but was at a loss for where to look next. She sighed heavily, and sank back into her pillows. Being so close to solving her mother's murder excited her somehow, gave her a rush of exhilaration, despite all of the frustration the dead end case continued to cause.

"No." Castle responded, eyes still studying the board. "He just said he could guarantee your safety if you stood back from the case."

"Then why was I shot?" Kate asked quizzically, the two of them finally broaching the subject of Castle's secrets.

"There were documents, that once he received guaranteed your safety if you backed away, but apparently he didn't receive the files until after the shooting." Castle continued, still not looking at Kate. Silence followed again, as they both became lost in their own thoughts. The familiar ringtone of Beckett's mobile cut through the air, awakening both of them from their deep trance of contemplation.

Beckett reached out with bandaged hands, still not remembering her hands ever getting burnt by the blast that occurred in her apartment. She took her phone and answered, to find Lanie on the other end.

"Beckett, it's not a burn! It's an implant. I don't know what it does yet though I'm having the tech guys check it out." Lanie gushed.

"Lanie slow down!" Beckett said, attempting to calm her friend from her excitement. "What does this mean?" She asked, trying to find out what her friend was so excited about.

"It means, the one in you, could help us solve the case!" She replied, then hung up.

Beckett sat with eyes wide; uncertain of what her friend just told her. She'd completely forgotten about her neck after her abduction.

"What?" Castle asked, as she hung up the phone.

"Apparently the burn on my neck isn't a burn. It's a chip." Beckett said, stonily.

"Wow." Castle mustered, "Wish it was CIA." He said, sarcastically.

"It'd sure make things easier." She said with a smile at her partner. She stood up and walked to the murder board.

"So our mystery suicide had no prints and no Identification on the body. The envelope he carried addressed to me, had the fingerprints of our first vic Tracy Kindle all over it. The letter contained a letter bomb, which thankfully was detected and disarmed by the bomb tech guys. Therefore, it was another attempt on my life..."

"Meaning the man I met with could no longer protect you." Castle continued, finishing her sentence as per usual. Beckett smiled at his partner's synchronicity with her. She pondered for a moment, then continued on.

"I'm still confused about why Tracy's fingerprints were on the letter." Beckett said.

"Perhaps she was the messenger? Means she could have gotten the letter straight to your desk without going through the post, allowing the bomb to remain undetected" Castle replied.

"And our mystery man was trying to stop her? Could explain the gun he used to kill himself. Ballistics showed it was the same gun used to kill Tracy."

"But why wouldn't he contact me? He did every other time something changed and brought you to harm." Castle mused aloud.

"Perhaps he couldn't be caught making contact?" She suggested.

"He made his calls from a burner phone." Castle said.

"How do you know?" Beckett asked, eyebrows raised.

"I may have used the system at the precinct." Castle replied with a smile on his face, as his partner rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, could he have been caught? Could that have been the thing to put us in jeopardy?"Beckett asked.

"It could make sense. Perhaps they thought he'd been leaking information to us about whoever was behind it all." Castle responded.

"And he knew about it, stopped the bomb from reaching you by killing the girl and then killed himself."

"But why kill himself?" Castle asked, killing the excitement in her partner's face as her possible scenario was cut short by this question. Beckett shrugged and sat on the bed next to him again, crossing her legs beneath her as a sigh escaped body. Castle reached out and grabbed her bandaged hand gently.

"We're close, Kate. We'll get them, I promise." He said softly. She responded by moving closer to him and lying down beside him. He put his arm around her, and kissed the top of her head as she fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter eleven **

Castle awoke, breathing in her familiar scent. Kate lay sleeping beside him, as peaceful as he'd ever seen her. He looked around the room sleepily, taking note of the policeman standing at the door on guard. He breathed a sigh of relief heavily and his attention returned to the beautiful woman lying next to him. Her breathing was soft against his arm as she dreamed, seemingly carefree. He closed his eyes, taking in this moment of tranquillity and peace. After approximately, Beckett snapped awake, her mind obviously whirring as her eyes burned with determination. She had a theory. She shook Castle in order to wake him. After a few moments of attempting to wake her partner, she averted her eyes to the heart rate monitor beside his bad, checking he was still alive.

"Castle!" Beckett hissed. He still didn't stir, so Kate leant up and kissed him gently on the cheek (what possessed her to do this, she knew not). His eyes snapped open; a small grin appeared on his face, as he had seemingly gotten what he wanted. She sat back, her eyes narrowing on him as she realised he was awake the whole time.

"Detective Beckett." Castle said, a smile plastered across his face, "What a pleasure to see you visiting me this early in the morning." He joked.

"It's four in the afternoon, Castle." She said with a smile, rolling her eyes. She looked up to him, their eyes locking again. He moved forward, thinking her small peck on the cheek previously, gave him the right to do the same. He led her to distraction so, that she had forgotten the reason she'd woken so suddenly in the first place. Castle moved closer to her still, slowly, giving her the opportunity to pull away.

"Castle." She said softly, putting her hand on her shoulder and pushing him back from her gently. He stopped suddenly, aware of her unease.

"Kate, sorry I..." He stammered, a slight look of disappointment in his eyes.

"I just...have a theory" she cut him off "About the case." Her mind was fuzzy from his touch.

He cleared his throat and shifted slightly, caught off-guard by another silent moment between his partner and he. She grabbed his hand, letting him know it was nothing personal. "What've you got?" He continued.

"Well, I've been thinking, and I realised something. I'm a homicide detective, right?" Kate asked rhetorically, continuing quickly. "What if our guy killed himself so homicide didn't get given the case in the first place?" Kate said.

Castle pondered for a moment, and then his eyes lit up. "But he left the envelope and the gun with him to show to me that the case was connected to your mother." He gushed.

"What do you me to show you?" Kate's forehead creased with confusion.

"Well he knows I work with you, so if I saw him dead with the same gun used to kill our first murder victim, he'd expect me to connect the entire situation immediately to your shooting." He continued. "But he killed himself before they could get to him, so we would focus on the girls murder, and not his suicide, as it's not our jurisdiction."

"So you're saying we're focussing on the wrong person? That we'll not solve this at all by looking into him, but into Tracy's background?" Kate asked, still unsure of what he was saying.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Castle said, his eyes wide.

"But Ryan and Espo did a background check, she's totally clean. They looked into everything." Kate said, dampening Castle's theory. He nodded, and frowned slightly, thinking deeply.

Kate leapt up from the bed suddenly, flying over to the murder board in front of their beds. She took marker and wrote down a name. _Jordan Norris._

Castle still looked perplexed. "Why is that name familiar?" He asked.

"Remember Mayor Wheldon's case four months ago." Beckett grinned, realising she was onto something.

"The lawyer!" Castle yelled excitedly. "Tracy was the daughter of the Edward Kindle. The lawyer that silenced Norris was from the law firm Kindle and Moss." He moved to get up, in his excitement forgetting about his leg. He yelped with pain and Beckett sat back down next to him. "We're so close, Kate." He said, through a grimace. She put her hands to her face and smiled. Her deep brown eyes staring into his, exploding with exhilaration. Castle opened his arms, gesturing for a hug. They embraced, his hand feathering lightly on the back of her neck then stopping suddenly.

"Kate, what'd Lanie say about the burn in your neck?" Castle asked, pulling away, a look of concern on his face.

Kate shrugged, "That the burn on our victim's neck resembles mine, except it was a chip insert." She said nonchalantly.

"What kind of chip?" He said, worriedly.

"Lanie wasn't sure. She was sending it to tech. Why, Castle? Got a theory?" She asked.

"Get Lanie on the line, now." He forced. His face was drained of all the excitement he'd shown moments before.

Kate dialled Lanie's number, her friend picking up after the second ring.

"Kate! How are you girl? I was going to..."

"Lanie, I need to know something. What was the chip?"

"I was just going to come round and talk about that." Lanie said.

"What is it, Lanie?" Beckett forced.

"It's a tracking device." Lanie said.

"Shit. Lanie, I've gotta go." She hung up the phone and turned to Castle.

"It's a tracking device. So they know where I am. They're still coming." She said.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter twelve **

_Authors note. Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates, I've been at uni and stuff. Hope you're enjoying the story. Feel free to leave reviews and the like. Bec xx_

Beckett leapt from her bed and left the room, leaving Castle alone in his immobile state. She shortly returned, with a nurse in toe.

"I need you to remove the chip from my neck." Beckett said abruptly to the nurse.

"What chip?" The nurse asked, looking confused.

"In the back of my neck." Beckett pointed, the nurse leant over and looked. "I looks like a burn, but it's a tracking device." She continued.

"Right." The nurse said, as she proceeded to put gloves on and prod around Beckett's neck. The nurse let out an _hmmm, _a frown creasing in her forehead. "There is definitely something underneath the skin, yes. I'll have the doctor see to it as soon as he has a spare moment." The nurse said.

"No." Kate said forcefully. "It needs to come out immediately. I need to you to take it out now." She said.

The nurse stared at Kate for a moment, taken aback by the distress in her patients tone.

"Okay. I'll do it. Could you give me a few minutes, Detective?" She asked, obviously noticing the Police badge on Beckett's dresser.

"Of course." Beckett said as the nurse began to leave the room. "Thank you." She said sincerely, realising that her request was against the hospital's protocol. The nurse nodded to Beckett, and left quickly.

Kate sat back down on her bed, a large sigh left her body. Castle shifted slightly and put a hand on her shoulder, but Beckett shoved him off.

"Kate?" He enquired.

"I need to go into hiding." She said, pausing briefly, and then continuing. "You do too."

"Together?" Castle asked.

"How else are we going to solve this case?" Beckett turned to him, a slight smile on her lips.

The nurse returned minutes later with a small tray of sharp instruments. Beckett sat on a stool and the nurse began to work at Beckett's neck delicately with a small scalpel.

"Got it!" The nurse exclaimed after a good ten minutes of poking and prodding at Kate's neck.

"Ahh thank God." Beckett said. She turned to the nurse and thanked her, all hardness gone from her voice. "I have one more request. My partner and I need to be discharged. Immediately." Beckett said, knowing she was asking too much.

"You partner here, is in no fit condition to be discharged, Detective." The nurse said, motioning to Castle.

"I understand that, but this is critical." Beckett said.

"So is your partner's condition." The nurse said with slight annoyance in her voice now. Beckett sighed, realising her rush to solve this case wasn't accommodating for Castle's wellbeing. She thought for a moment, avoiding eye contact with her partner.

"She's right. Castle. Stay here. Maybe I have to do the rest from now on in." Beckett said, tensing her jaw. The nurse nodded, and exited the room.

"Beckett, no. We've come so far with this case. Together." Castle said, flinching with pain yet again.

"Castle." Beckett shut him down, her voice stern now. "I can do it. I need to do this."

"Not alone, Kate. We've talked about this." He pleaded, realising however that he was in no fit state to leave the hospital. Kate moved to her bed and reached under her pillow, retrieving a set of keys. She unlocked her dresser drawer and removed her gun and holster.

"Beckett!" Castle said, trying to make his stubborn partner see sense. She continued by moving her bed away from his and closing the curtain between them. She changed into her usual clothes holstered her gun. She pulled back the curtain the separated the two of them and moved towards him. His face was ghosted with worry, realising that his partner was running headlong into a death trap (yet again). Except this time, he was actually physical incapable of stopping her. Kate's hand moved to his, but instead of holding it, she took the case file from it.

"Kate, please?" Castle pleaded, attempting to get out of his bed.

"I'm so sorry." She said, her eyes welling with tears. She moved towards the door, but stopped as Castle got out of his bed and hobbled towards her slowly, pain burning through his leg. He stood in front of her, hospital gown and all. He stared at her, his eyes clouded with fear. The fear of losing her. He opened his arms to her and pulled her towards him. The smell of her engulfed him, her hair tickled his face as he held her as close as possible. She pulled back after a few moments, one hand on his arm, the other cupped on his face. Tears streamed down her face, as he stared into his cloudy blue eyes.

"I have to do this." She said, choking up slightly. Castle saw the determination in her face and realised there and then that there was nothing he could do to stop her from continuing without him. He paused for a moment after she spoke, and then nodded once, showing his understanding.

She took a step back from him before the comfort of his embrace changed her mind. They stood for a moment, just looking at each other, before she turned on her heel.

"Do you know who did it, now we know who the lawyers involved are?" Castle asked quietly. Beckett turned in the doorway, waiting a moment before answering.

"I do." She said.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter thirteen. **

Beckett paced the hall in the somewhat familiar house she now found herself in. Her face was dark, shadowed with worry. It was obvious she wasn't in control of her situation.

"Kate." A voice hollered loudly. She turned around suddenly and walked towards the male voice. Upon entering the kitchen, the dark haired man spoke again. "Would you like a coffee?" Josh asked.

"No." She said sharply. He sighed, put the cup he was holding back in the cupboard and proceeded to leave the room.

"I'm going to bed." Josh said dejectedly.

"Okay." Said Kate, deep in thought. She sat at her ex-boyfriends dining table, opening the folder that sat on it, for the sixth time that evening. Sighing, she focussed upon the evidence she'd read through over a hundred times, wishing that all roads didn't lead back to where they did. She knew it would kill Castle. Castle. Her mind floated back to her partner, his bright smile lit up her thoughts. Her phone rang, the tone unfamiliar, as she was now using a burner cell as a precaution.

"Beckett." Ryan's voice greeted her on the other end of the line.

She tensed up. "Do you have anything, Ryan?" She asked, eminently holding her breath.

"Not yet, but Esposito is still down at the City Hall." Ryan sighed. He wanted to catch these people as much as everybody else surrounding Beckett. Kate breathed out sharply. There was silence on the line for a moment.

"Beckett?" Ryan said, breaking the silence. Concern filled his voice.

"Yeah. I'm still here." She said, defeat in her tone.

"Tomorrow, Kate. We'll work it out tomorrow. Get some sleep." Ryan said kindly. Beckett hung up and threw the phone back on the table. Her head fell between her hands and she exhaled heavily.

She'd been staying at Josh's house a week. Although barely on speaking terms, Kate arrived on his doorstep trailed by two heavily armed policemen. At first he thought Kate had gone mad, that the stress from the shooting had sent her over the edge into a spin of paranoia. However, the fact that there were two armed guards following helped him believe the story quickly. It was Gates' idea for her to stay at her ex-boyfriends house. Believing it would grant safety for the short while that she needed until she closed the case. Beckett understandably was against the idea, due to Josh and her not leaving on the best of terms. Gates insisted and somehow managed to convince Josh also. Possibly because he was due to leave for Africa yet again in a week.

The phone awoke Kate from her restless slumber. She found herself still sitting at the table, having obviously fallen asleep whilst working.

"Beckett." She said into the phone hoarsely. Her throat was dry so she got up to pour herself some water.

"Beckett! It's Esposito." She stopped pouring her water as suspense filled her drowsy body. "I've got another lead. I was looking into the connections between Mayor Robert Wheldon and the law firm of Kindle and Ross. According to public records, the firm began to support Wheldon as he began his campaign for mayor fifteen years ago." She heard the shuffling of papers on the other end of the phone. "Due to this, I looked into the history of what led them to become partners. Did you know Wheldon served in the armed services?"

"No." Beckett said, concentrating hard.

"Right, well Wheldon was injured in a training procedure, so he soon left the service, meaning he never got deployed."

"Where'd all this info come from?" Beckett asked, curious of such finite details on the background of the now Mayor.

"It's in a transcript of an interview Wheldon gave when he first ran for office. It was just conversational really, but it made me curious about the unit he served with and stuff. So I got a buddy of mine to check out the incident, which was still in the records."

"I thought the records got burned every ten years?" Beckett said quizzically.

"They do, unless the incidents involve an officer." Esposito said.

"Who was the officer?" Beckett asked.

"Sergeant Rowan Stuart Moss." Esposito confirmed. "Father of lawyer, Terry Moss."

"Of Kindle and Moss?" Beckett asked.

"That's him."

"So, what happened?" She asked.

"That I'm not certain of just yet. I should receive the photocopy of the file tomorrow morning." There was a pause. "This morning actually." He corrected himself, realising it was almost dawn.

"Couldn't he lose his job?" Beckett asked.

"He could. Only if he gets caught." Esposito said, a lightness entered his voice.

"I can't thank you enough, Espo." Beckett said tiredly.

"It's the least I can do. I'll give you a ring when I get the files."

"Thanks Espo." She said, gratitude filled her voice.

"Night Kate."

Castle was wheeled into his apartment, Martha steering his wheelchair. Alexis ran down the stairs, greeting her still crippled father. They embraced tightly; tears from his daughter's face were damp against his cheek. She began sobbing violently and all Castle could do was hold her until the episode subsided.

Castle stared into his daughters crystal blue eyes, as tears dried on her face. "Is she safe, dad?" She asked. Castle was surprised at her question, noting the genuine concern in Alexis' voice.

He paused momentarily. He hadn't seen Kate since she'd left the hospital over a week ago. "I don't know." He said, defeated.

"Are you safe? Will they leave you?" Her eyes tearing up again, as thoughts of losing her father coursed through her mind yet again. Rick reached out to his daughter and held her closely again.

"I am, honey. I promise." He said in reassurance.

"What has made them stop coming after you?" She asked.

"I'm not involved anymore sweetie. There's nothing more..." He choked up ever so slightly. "...There's nothing more I can do for Kate."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter fourteen.**

_Hey guys, again I apologise for my lack of updates as I am at the pointy end of the university semester and the like. This chapter carries into always and afterwards. Of course we all know what happened in Always so I shant re-tell the story, rather, I shall just continue the story where I can etc. Etc This is a super short chapter btw. Enjoy, anyhow. _

The glow from his laptop cast a ghostly pale light onto Richard Castle's face. His faced creased, obviously fighting a demon in his dreams. His slumber was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot. Castle snapped awake and looked around his dark apartment. After realising the shot was in his dream, he rubbed his weary eyes and looked at the time on his laptop.

_4.52 am. _

Weeks had passed since he had left hospital and his leg was almost completely healed, however much it still pained him. He kept telling it was the bullet wound keeping him awake every night, but he knew it was because he missed hearing her voice and knowing she was still okay. After a long awaited call however, from Kate the evening before, he slept soundly from hearing her voice, knowing she was safe for the time being. She told him about the army and the file Esposito had found. Unfortunately however, the file had, like so many others surrounding this investigation, been tampered with. They were at another dead end. Kate had gone back to work and Castle planned on joining her on the next case that arose. He didn't have to wait long, as he received a call later in the morning.

What appeared to be a seemingly 'ordinary' murder case however, soon span out of control, sending them all on a man hunt after the deadly man who shot Beckett. It wasn't until Kate decided to go rogue that Castle had had enough. Perhaps he was still slightly irritated at her for not calling him for weeks and leaving him without a second thought or it was the steady drumming fear in his heart that was the realisation that he might lose her. Yet again. Whatever it was, it was all too much for Castle. He couldn't do it this time, as he knew that chasing this man without backup would no doubt, get her killed or cost Kate her job. Or both.

His phone vibrated on the bedside dresser as he lay awake yet again. It was the precinct, which he ignored by turning the phone off. He took his laptop, and attempted to begin the next chapter in his latest book. After another failed attempt however, his laptop ended up on the floor, busted up. Tears streamed down the broken writers face. The sudden realisation of his lack of ability to start the next chapter of the book, related back to the fact that he had no idea whatsoever of how to start his new life without her. Regardless of whether she was dead or not. He knew now, that he couldn't turn his feelings off. He had no idea how to function anymore, as there was a ghost of her in everything. She had touched his life so intensely that in the last four years, everything was built around her. It all lead back to her. Kate Beckett.

There was a soft knock on the door. He wiped his tears and breathed in deeply, in a desperate attempt to fight for control of his emotions.

He opened the door, and was faced with the beautiful demon of his past.

"_What do you want, Beckett?" _

"_You." _

The earth underneath him broke away; as she spoke the words he had forever longed to hear. White noise filled his head as he tried to focus on his water sodden partner before him. She moved towards him and he became lost in her. All embers of anger in him evaporated as she assaulted his senses. This was surely a reverie, as her lips crashed onto his in the way they did in every dream. Upon realising his consciousness, his mind snapped into the moment of what was happening and the door closed behind them as Castle became completely lost in her.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter fifteen.**

Sun filtered through the window, warming the entwined bodies lying on the bed. Castle breathed in deeply as her smell filled his nostrils and totally engulfed him. He awoke slowly and encapsulated the moment he now found himself in. He placed his fingertips on the golden skin of her spine and became lost in his thoughts of the women he lay beside. Kate Beckett stirred, her eyes fluttering as they adjusted to the light of the warm sun. A smile graced her lips as she felt his fingers running down her spine, the contact making her shiver. She rolled over and faced him, his crystal blue eyes staring into hers. At first, he expected her immediate reaction to be one of regret. Instead however, here she laid, eyes boring into his, adoration pouring from her stare.

"Morning." She said, croakily. Castle took in a large amount air into his lungs, still completely untrusting of this reality. Beckett leant into him and touched his bare chest, bringing him back into reality. His face lit up with the biggest smile she'd ever seen on him.

"Hey there." He replied, taking hold of her hand and holding it closer to his heart. The two lay in silence for over ten minutes, just taking in the situation they now found themselves in. They held each other tightly, lost in the rhythm of their slow beating hearts.

"Shall we have breakfast?" Castle eventually spoke.

Kate looked up into his eyes again and answered "I'd love to."

Half an hour later, Kate emerged from the shower, drying and dressing herself in the clothes Castle had laid out on the end of the bed for her, as her clothes were still soaked through from the storm the evening before. She emerged from his bedroom wearing one of his oversized sweaters and a pair of pyjama pants, which she tied at the side of her hip in order to make them fit. The strong smell of breakfast filled her nose, as she approached her lover from behind as he slaved over the stove. She wrapped her delicate arms around his waist, as he turned to her and pecked a kiss on her forehead. She smiled up at him, the comparative height difference now obvious without her heels.

"Hope this is okay." He said, pointing to the bacon and eggs in one pan and the pancakes in another.

"Ha. It looks amazing. Thanks, Castle." She squeezed him tight, then released and asked "Anything I can do to help?"

He flipped a pancake and turned back to her. "There's some plates in that cupboard down there." He pointed with the utensil he was holding. She emerged from the cupboard with numerous sized plates and set them on the table in two spots. Castle began to carry over the all that he had cooked to the table. He returned to the kitchen with a handful of knives and forks and a bowl of fruit he had cut up earlier.

"That was great." Kate said, wiping her smiling mouth. Castle smiled widely at her, still in awe of who he was sharing breakfast with.

"Castle?" She asked.

"Hmm?" He replied, completely lost in thought.

She stood up from her chair and collected their plates. "Stop staring!" She moved towards him and lightly slapped him on the shoulder. He stared up at her, her damp hair framing her face. He stood slowly and took the plates from her hands, putting them back on the table. A cheeky grin spread across his face and he suddenly scooped her up in his arms, lifting her off the ground. She squealed as he carried her across the room and placed her gently on the couch. She laughed at his sudden spontaneous playfulness, and pulled him down towards her, clutching at the neckline on the front of his shirt.

The front door banged and woke Castle from the couch where he lay sleeping beside her. He gently grabbed Kate's wrist and checked the time on her watch.

"Dad! I'm home." Alexis shouted. Suddenly, Castle grabbed his shirt up off the ground and put it back on, and began walking sleepily towards the source of his daughter's voice.

"Alexis!" He exclaimed, wrapping her up in a tight hug. "Did you have a good time?" He said as he pulled away from the hug and held her at arm's length. Alexis began telling her father all about her trip as he moved to the kitchen and began making her a cup of hot coco. There was a small noise in the living room, startling Alexis. She watched Kate emerge moments later; her father's clothing hanging loose off her thin frame.

"Detective Beckett?" She said quizzically, turning back to her father for an explanation.

"Alexis!" Kate said surprisingly. She looked embarrassed as Castle's daughter gaped at her. Castle shifted uncomfortably as his daughter turned to him, her eyes searching his for an explanation. He smiled widely and shrugged his shoulders. Alexis smiled back at him, glad to see his father happy as it was the first time in a long while. Kate stood there awkwardly as father and daughter exchanged glances.

Alexis turned back to her "Sorry, Detective. I just wasn't expecting to see you."

Kate eased onto the bar stool next to Alexis and smiled shyly. "Me neither." She said honestly, a small laugh escaping her.

Castle broke the awkwardness of the moment as he placed a mug in front of Alexis and asked Beckett if she would like a coffee. She nodded and then looked down at her hands, playing with the hem of Castle's oversized shirt.

"So, when will Gran be back?" Alexis broke the sudden silence. Her question was answered however by a thump on the front door. Kate leapt to her feet, her hand instinctively moving to her hip. Castle's mother burst through the door seconds later, a flurry of colour and vivacity.

"I'm home!" She shouted throughout the house for all to hear.

"In the kitchen." Richard hollered. Martha entered the kitchen, her attention not yet drawn to the now settled Kate.

"Hello!" She said, pulling Alexis into a tight embrace. "Did you miss me?" She pulled Castle over and hugged him also. "Kate! To what do I owe this pleasure?" She opened her arms to her and Kate hugged her also.

"Hello, Martha." Kate answered warmly. Martha's eyes lit up upon seeing Kate wearing her son's clothing, deciphering what it meant. The family spent the afternoon huddled around the table, including Kate wholly in the banter and stories about their recent travels.

Many more days were spent like this in the Castle household, as Kate became one of the family.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter sixteen.**

_Sorry these chapters have been a bit uninteresting lately, the pace will pick up soon, I promise :/_

Castle stood tall beside her, and gave Kate's hand one last squeeze before she entered Captain Gates' office.

"Beckett?" Gates exclaimed, surprised at the entry of her former detective.

"Sir, I'd like to apologize for my recent actions, if that is at all possible." Kate said briskly, getting straight to the point. The captain sat down in her chair and stared intently at Beckett, making Kate shift from one foot to another. It had been three months since she had stepped foot in the precinct, and as she was unsure of the reception she would receive, she was on edge. Gates, after her moment of thought reached into her draw and pulled out Kate's badge and held it in her hands, as if teasing the detective.

"Take a seat, Kate." Gates said, her voice softening slightly. Kate sat down, as she was told to do. The captain continued "You do realise that your actions three months ago have consequences.

"Of course, Sir." Kate knew this now. She had put her emotions first regarding the last case, and due to this had endangered not only her own life, but the life of others.

"Then you'll understand the position this put not only myself, but the entire precinct in?" Gates said.

"Yes Sir." Kate lowered her head, the guilt trip hitting her hard.

"I have however taken into consideration the circumstances. How personal the case was to you, and the pain it has caused you. It is quite understandable that you acted in such a manner. Never the less, you put not only yourself, but others in innate danger. Do you understand that we follow protocol in this precinct?" The question was rhetorical, but Kate nodded as she was well aware of the repercussions of her actions. "The DA however, believes that you and your...partnership with Mr. Castle, has been incredibly vital to the city of New York and its people." Gates paused, staring at the badge in her hands. Kate noticed Castle staring in the window through the corner of her eye. She caught his eye immediately and shot a poisonous look in his direction. Kate's gaze returned to Gates, but she was still deep in thought.

"Truthfully..." Gates said suddenly, "I would have done the same thing."

"Sir?" Kate said whilst raising her eyebrows, completely taken aback by the comment.

"I agree with the DA. You're the finest detective I have ever seen. With Castle, you're even better." Gates' smiled slightly. "Repeat that to him, and I will bury you. " Kate was speechless, completely uncertain where this was going.

"What I'm trying to say, is although I completely disapprove of your recent actions in this precinct, I am willing to welcome you back to the Twelth." Kate sat open mouthed.

"I have told the DA that you have been away on personal leave and whether you returned was completely up to you. Still is, in fact."

"Sir, I can'..."

"There's one condition, however." Gates butted in.

"Of course." Kate spluttered.

"All evidence regarding your mother's case and your shooting is to be handed over to the NYPD immediately. You will also need to take the test to get your gun back."

Kate, still open mouthed stared at her captain's generosity and understanding. Regardless of whether she deserved it or not.

"Is that clear detective?" Gates asked, her voice completely stiff and professional again.

"Yes Sir. Very."

"Excellent, you may begin tomorrow. Also, your little pet out there?" Obviously regarding Castle.

"Sir?"

"If you two still wish to work together you may. He may need to decide soon whether he wishes to be a writer or a cop however. You may go." Gates said, handing over Kate's badge, concluding their little meeting. Kate moved towards the door, but stopped suddenly.

"Sir?" She asked, carefully.

The captain was seated again, staring at Kate over the top of her glasses. "hmm?"

"You said you would have done the same. May I ask what you meant by that?"

"You may not." Gates said sternly.

"Sorry, of course." Kate took hold of the door handle.

"We're much more alike than you think, Kate Beckett. Well, we're similarly motivated." Kate turned and thought she saw just a hint of sadness in her captain's eyes on her way out.

As soon as they exited the precinct, Kate began laughing hysterically. Castle stepped backwards; completely unaware of what was happening before him.

"Erm, Kate?" Castle asked.

Kate took the badge out of her coat pocket, whilst still laughing. Castle's expression changed immediately, joining her in her laughter and picking her up in a huge hug.

"Congratulations!" He said, completely shocked at her news. "Shall we celebrate at Remy's? I have a little news of my own."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter seventeen**

They sat at their usual table outside at Remy's, both eating in silence seemingly enjoying one another's company. Eventually, the two began to speak after finishing their meals. Castle pulled something resembling an ID from his pocket.

"Castle?" Kate said, picking up the card he threw onto the table nonchalantly. Castle smirked as his partner's face lit up upon realising what the card was.

"Richard Castle. Private Investigator. It's got a real ring to it, don't you think?" Castle said smugly.

Beckett laughed and congratulated her partner by putting her milkshake glass up to toast with him. Suddenly, the glass exploded in her hand as the sound of a gunshot rang out. They and the civilians surrounding them dove to the ground, as the windows of the building they sat outside of were blown out by a series of other shots. Castle looked around him for Beckett, finding her lying on the other side of their table, frozen with fear. There were more shots heard and the screaming around them continued. Castle acted quickly, grabbing his frozen partner's hand, pulling her into the burger shop for protection from the shooter outside. Those customers that were eating outside around them followed suit. The lunch rush had filled the store and there were at least 20 people now hiding under tables. Beckett remained frozen as the sound of an automatic weapon fired, sounding closer to them than the gun heard before.

"Beckett." Castle yelled over the commotion. She said nothing, shaking heavily as she reached for her hip. Upon realising that she no longer had a weapon, she swore loudly and looked into Castle's eyes, perhaps hoping for him to put a silver lining on their current situation. He returned her gaze, darkness in his eyes as he was perhaps hoping for the same from her. After more shots and screams, most people in Remy's had moved into the kitchen at the back of the building. Kate however did not move despite Castle's pleads. The two were the only ones left in the restaurant.

"He's here. Again." Beckett shuddered, her senses on overdrive. She reached to her hip again, computing this time, that she no longer held her weapon.

"Castle. I don't have a gun." She whispered, kneeling beside him as he sat in silence.

"What?"

"Gate's didn't give me my piece back. I have no weapon." Castle's head swivelled quickly to look at her; the horror of the situation they were in was only now apparently hitting him. There was another shot; this one seemed to come from the first weapon shot at them, a rifle. It whizzed past Kate's head and lodged itself in the booth behind them.

"Move!" Castle shouted, as more bullets from the automatic whipped past them. They were on their hands and knees, at the back of the restaurant now, completely cornered, although thoroughly out of view from the window now. They sat in silence for what felt like hours.

"Why arn't they coming in?" Castle mused out loud. Kate glanced at him, sharing a look that suggested that she was thinking the exact same thing.

"I don't know." They were both lost for answers and actions. They were pinned, if they moved for the kitchens, the sniper would have one of them down in a second. The only way out was through the front, where they came. Both were hoping it wouldn't be in a body bag.

"I have a handgun." Castle said, absentmindedly. Beckett's slapped him hard on the arm.

"What! Since when? Why the hell didn't you tell me?" She hissed.

"I was about to tell you I got my carrying license, but then, well..." He trailed off, motioning to the broken glass and bullet holes that surrounded them.

"Give it here!" She put her hand out for him to hand it to her.

"Erm. It's kind of in the car." He said.

"In the car! Who the hell has a carrying license and doesn't carry the gun on them! Jesus, Castle." She fumed.

"I only just bought it this afternoon. I don't have a holster, so I left it in the glove box." He explained.

"Right. Well your support whilst a raving maniac with a gun is after me is just fantastic." She said sarcastically. He opened his mouth to argue but another shot rang out. There was a crunching of glass underfoot as footsteps approached them slowly. Kate grabbed a steel serving tray from the table above her. She shuffled on her knees next to Castle, and crouched.

"He's in here. Stay back Castle." She said, poising herself for attack. Castle nodded slowly as fear filled his eyes. The sound of footsteps appeared closer, and as a foot appeared in front the booth they hid behind, Beckett pounced. Hard and fast, straight for the face of the stranger.

The two wrestled, but Beckett was soon overpowered by the man. As he reached for his gun that had been knocked aside in their struggle, Castle leapt forward, reaching it first. He pulled the trigger on the man before he could lay another blow on Kate. He fell aside limply as Beckett moved to the cover behind the booth before the sniper could take another shot at her. Castle's chest heaved, as he stared the body of the man he just shot dead.

"Castle?" Beckett said softly. "Thankyou." He turned to her slowly, his eyes still on the bleeding man's face.

"Castle, he was going to kill me. It was me or him. You did the right thing. Okay?" She tried to reassure him, aware that he had never killed a man before. She rubbed his back and took the automatic weapon from his hands. She checked the nearly empty clip and swore. Castle sat in silence, head in his hands. It was up to her now. She left the clip out of the gun and breathed deeply, before reaching over the man that attacked them. He lay in the open and her movement followed with another shot from a rifle, which missed her as she dove toward booth opposite Castle for cover. She pulled his body toward her and reached into the man's back pack, which thankfully contained more ammunition for the gun she now had slung over her shoulder. She loaded the gun and sat motionless for a moment, attempting to devise a plan. She took another deep breath and leapt back into the booth, towards Castle.

"Castle?" She took a hold of his shoulders and looked into his face. "Castle, I have a plan. But I need your help. Is that okay?" She said gently. Castle looked up; his eyes were clouded with something she had never seen in him before. He was curled up, arms wrapped around himself. She heard sirens in the background. They had clearly only been in the shop for minutes, although it felt like an eternity.

She shook his shoulders, aware of the little time she had left now. "Castle. I need you now." She said firmly.


	18. Chapter 18

_Hey readers. I cannot apologise enough for the massive delay between chapters. I've had sick family and just stressful things happening. Forgive me. This is a short chapter, but took a painfully long time to complete. I hope you enjoy anyhow. Leave reviews if you will. Bec _

**Chapter eighteen**

Beckett knew that this was most likely her final chance to face the man that held so much power over her. One of the many demons she needed to confront before she could be truly happy. She had approximately two minutes to make this happen however. Castle met her eyes, mentally overcoming the shock of what he had just witnessed because of her. Without her brown eyes on his, he may not have been able to move. But move was what he did. Kate Beckett explained incredibly briefly her plan to Castle and began to put it into action. She crouched, with her back to Castle, ready to move towards the kitchen.

"Now!" She yelled, her powerful legs springing her forward in the opposite direction of Castle. She burst through the back door of the restaurant, having to ignore the number of customers huddled together in a corner. With the gun now held up to her shoulder she steadied herself, eye looking through the scope. Immediately she spotted him, although his attention was elsewhere. Just as she had planned. Unfortunately, the gun she held was not one for long distance shooting, and the sniper appeared further away then she had expected. She couldn't make the shot, and had put Castle in unnecessary danger. The sounds of sirens grew louder, but were blocked out by another loud explosion from the rifle. She took her phone from her pocket.

"Castle!" She yelled, panic in her voice. There was no answer.

Beckett took one more look through the scope of her gun and saw her target beginning to move as the police began to close in on Remy's. Without a thought, she began her chase regardless of her already being hundreds of metres behind him. Blood pounded in her ears as she sprinted after the sniper. She saw him run through an alleyway and out of sight. Beckett had lost sight of him, having to guess which direction he took. Hurriedly, she mentally mapped out all possible alleys branching off of the one she was in, and on blind faith began to take a short cut. She continued to run, hand on trigger, down the snaking alleyways. Silence filled Kate's ears, as she blocked out all the traffic sounds. She slowed, raising her weapon to turn yet another corner. Her breath was short and sharp as she scanned the alley in front of her. Her heart dropped as she stood alone in the dead end alleyway. She cursed under her breath and began to lower the gun in her hand, until her senses began screaming warning. She turned quickly with her gun raised again, looking around frantically for any danger. She saw nothing. It was in this moment that she knew she was completely trapped. She fumbled for her phone, calling him again. Still there was no answer. She pocketed her phone again and began to move towards the way in which she entered the alley. The hairs on the back of Kate's neck began to rise and she stopped suddenly. She could feel his eyes on her. Feel her body entering the cross hairs yet again.

Castle pulled himself up from behind the car he crouched behind. His hands covered in blood. He stared down at them, unable to focus as adrenaline coursed through his veins. He removed the gun from the young officer's holster and began running in the direction of the sniper. Upon reaching an alleyway, he slowed and raised his gun as he rounded a corner, just as Kate had demonstrated during every bust he'd ever been to. He blocked out the traffic and listened only to his immediate surroundings. The silence unnerved him. Rounding another corner, he noticed a small abandoned apartment. Upon a hunch, he entered cautiously (the door unlocked), gun raised and at the ready. The hallway was small and dark, branching out to an even darker, dusty living room. After checking the entire floor for signs of life, Castle made his way up the small staircase, making sure to tread lightly upon the rotting wooden steps. He reached the top floor of the rundown apartment building, finding no sniper hiding in wait. He breathed a sigh of relief as he entered the last room on the top floor, which despite the evidence of possibly being squatted in recently, was empty. He turned to leave when he noticed a woman standing in a dead end alley. Being so high up, she appeared small but he knew immediately that it was Beckett. His heart immediately pounded faster as he saw the women spin quickly, raising the gun in her hands. His stomach lurched as he glimpsed a man on the roof of the building opposite, assembling a rifle. Castle ducked under the window sill, chest heaving hard at the thought of what was to come. He looked around the room, attempting to clear his panic ridden mind and concoct a plan in which to save her. The gun is his hand was a standard nine millimetre police issue. Such a gun would require an extremely skilled marksman to make the shot onto the opposite building- Something Castle was not. After taking a few deep breaths, Castle realised that there was no way out of this moment. There was lucky distraction that was a cat in the garbage or saving grace of Ryan getting there in a nick of time. Memories of his own alleyway confrontation and hospital nightmare seemed like forever ago. Now that he and Beckett were together, all of time had slowed down, as though his mind was trying to savour every moment they had together. Like their time together was going to be unfairly short. Perhaps this moment was why.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter nineteen**

_Wide shoulders held her tiny frame against his. Their movements were slow although filled with hunger, and totally natural. Kate held his crystal blue gaze as she pulled him down to her onto the silken sheets of his bed. The soft glow of light illuminated her skin, now glowing gold beneath him. _

Castle's mind began to flicker to their fateful night together. Thoughts were gushing, as he cocked the gun in his hands.

_Their lips met, again and again as they no longer fought the wall that had kept them apart for so long. _

He peered out the window quickly, seeing his target now looking through the scope at Kate. It was now or never. Now or never to save her or have the night they spent together saved in his memory forever, as a painful reminder of his failure in this moment.

_Time stopped; all that mattered was this moment and everything that happened in it; every glance, kiss and touch. They became lost in each other, completely unaware of the heavy rain pounding on the window and the worsening storm in the outside world around them. _

There was a deafening gunshot, causing Castle to leap up from underneath the windowsill immediately, blowing his cover no doubt. Without thought, he aimed the pistol and fired, round after round until it clicked empty. His face remained blank as he stared at the crumpled heap; blood pooling quickly around the body.

"Castle!" The yell of that all familiar voice sounded from the alleyway below him. A flood of relief flowed through him, and his legs buckled beneath him. Minutes later, footsteps sounded from the abandoned stairway, the memorable click-clacking of Beckett's heels hammered loudly in his skull.

"Hey." She said softly, kneeling down to meet him. His eyes were sunken and dark, but lit up slightly as she met his gaze. The leapt forward, pulling her into an embrace. She felt his body shaking slightly beneath her touch.

"It's just shock, Rick. It's going to be okay. We're okay." She tried to reassure him.

"Are you hurt?" She asked, surprised he had even made it to her, after her miscalculated use of him as a decoy. He shook his head, giving her a once over to make sure she too was bullet free, and pulled her into another hug, never wanting to let her go. Never wanting the feeling of her beside him to end.

"He's dead?" He asked quietly breaking the silence. Beckett poked her head up to look out the window cautiously. The body of her sniper lay in a bloody heap on the opposite tin roof. She nodded and squeezed his arm lightly. She had the experience of what it felt like after shooting to kill in protection; he did not, so she gave him all the time he needed, comfortable silence remained. Eventually, the sound of sirens grew near, seemingly pulling Castle from his state of shock. Beckett helped him to his feet and took his hand, weaving her fingers through his as they descended the stairs.

"Beckett!" Esposito ran towards them wearing a Kevlar vest, relief washing over his face as he saw the two emerge from the run down building. Detective Ryan and the Captain approached them, concern creasing their faces. All anger between Ryan and his partner seemed to fall away as they saw the pair before them, alive. Beckett gave Castle's hand a squeeze before she let go, moving towards Captain Gates.

"He's dead, Sir." Kate said.

"But it's not over, Detective." Gates sighed.

"Sir?" Beckett replied. Castle, a blanket now over his shoulders, approached the two talking.

"What's wrong?" Castle asked, having noticed the creases of worry across the captain's face.

"There has been an arrest."

"Who?" Asked Castle sternly.

"Mayor Robert Wheldon." Castle breathed in sharply, shocked that one of his close friends was yet again under suspicion.

Ryan and Esposito approached the three talking in hushed whispers. "Sir?" Esposito enquired.

"Yes, detectives?"

"We're going to escort the body back to the morgue. Would you like us to give Beckett and Castle a lift?" Gates turned back to a worn out looking Castle and Beckett, leaving the answer up to them.

"Would you like to stay on this case, Detective? I thought taking you off the case might make a difference but it appears you're deeper in this investigation than I ever thought." Gates said.

"Sir, could I have just a moment?" Gates nodded and gave her permission to think about the question posed to her. Beckett took Castle by the arm, pulling him to the side so they could speak privately.

"Look, I know I said that I could let it go. And I think I have reached the point where I can. I have something to live for now." She took hold of his hand, showing him that he was that something. He just looked at her; the faintest hint of a smile graced his face.

"I love you." He said matter- of- factly. "And the thing that dawned on me today, in the midst of nearly getting my face blown off, is that you can beat this. I thought it would be the death of you, but after this..." He paused, looking down at his blood stained hands in hers. "Now that you're so close to the truth, I think finishing this will be the beginning for you." Beckett stood, soaking in what her partner had just said. His words bringing her close to tears. She turned away and began walking back to Gates, but stopped suddenly, facing Castle again.

"Rick? I love you too." She said, for the first time out loud.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter twenty**

"Mr. Weldon. Sorry to keep you waiting." Beckett greeted, her voice was sharp and to the point as she took her place across the table from the mayor.

"Why am I here?" Wheldon asked, a look of genuine uncertainty across his face. Beckett looked down at her notes and spoke.

"You were in the marines?"

"Pardon?" The mayor replied to the unexpected question.

"Twenty years ago. You joined the armed forces did you not?" She asked again, her voice unwavering.

The mayor shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "That is correct. Look what is this about?" Beckett ignored the questioned and continued her play.

"You were honourably discharged before deployment were you not?"

"I..I was shot in a training procedural, yes." He stammered.

"Tell me about that." She asked, looking up from her papers.

"Well, it was a few weeks before we were deployed into Lebanon and we were doing an armed training session. It was running smoothly until our sergeant began having a seizure. Anyways, his finger became taught on the trigger and I was next to him at the time. I still don't understand why I am here. What does this have to do with me being arrested for speeding?" He said, becoming irritated.

"You're still in contact with the Sergeant then?" Beckett asked coolly, controlling the conversation.

"His epilepsy went undetected until that particular day, so after the incident he was also discharged. He contacted me soon after the incident saying how sorry he was. He sounded to be in a pretty bad way." He explained, clearly pained by the memories.

"Why did he contact you?" Kate asked.

The mayor looked up, seemingly shocked by the question. "To apologise. He was completely guilt ridden. Why? What does this have to do with anything?" Wheldon was becoming edgy -Exactly where Beckett wanted him to be.

Castle shifted uncomfortably in his spot behind the glass of the interview room. His old friend was yet again being questioned, although this time the case was closer to home. Although amazed as always, by Beckett's interviewing technique, he felt incredibly sorry for her victim. Surely he couldn't have anything to do with Johanna's murder all those years ago? It just seemed so unlikely for the man that he knew, or thought he knew. Castle shook his head and left the room to get a coffee, the interrogation making him feel ill.

Moments later, Kate was by his side at the coffee machine. As though reading his mind, she spoke in regards to his discomfort.

"I'm sorry, Rick. I know it's hard for you to watch." Castle turned to her, a grim look on his face.

"It can't be him, Kate. It can't be." He explained as he set down his coffee mug, his voice pained.

"I just need to find out how he is connected to all this. He was arrested after all."

"Yeah, for speeding! Now he's being interviewed by homicide detectives! This has nothing to do with him, Kate." His voice raised.

"He's in bed with the lawyers that I know were connected to my mother's murder. You can't just expect me to let that go." She became fiery, thinking that he of all people would understand the importance behind her interrogation.

He sighed heavily as he noticed the vein in her forehead pulsing as her anger rose. "Look, Kate. I understand why you're doing this, but maybe we should look at it logically. They're a law firm, I'm certain they deal with other powerful people in the city." He said, taking her hands into his.

"But who else could be more powerful than a mayor?" She asked, tears welling in her eyes from exhaustion.

"This is New York City. Go finish your interview, but take it easy okay? We'll sort this out logically." She nodded, wiping her eyes dry. She took her cup of coffee from under the machine and turned on her heel towards the interview room once more.

"Just a few more question, Mr. Wheldon." Her voice strong again.

"Of course." He said, with a sigh.

"How long have you and your campaign been supported by the law firm Kindle and Moss?"

"How is this relevant?" The mayor asked with clear agitation now.

"Just answer the question, Mr. Wheldon." Beckett said, coolly.

The mayor paused for a moment, as though adding up numbers in his head. "Approximately fifteen years, give or take." He replied.

"And why Kindle and Moss? Had you met Terry Moss before you went to him for legal advice?"

"Just the once, yes. At a Christmas party his father invited me to. Terry and I got talking and upon finding out he was a young, hot shot lawyer, I figured I might need somebody with his legal prowess on my side in the future, given my growing status as a politician. He had recently won a case regarding the murder of a prominent mob boss; apparently it was his big break. So I hired him." He explained carefully.

Beckett closed the file in front of her suddenly and stood up. "Thank you, Mr. Wheldon. You're free to go."

"But what about my speeding?" He asked, still seated.

"I'm sure we can just pass it off as a misunderstanding." Beckett said as she opened the door for him. The mayor stood and thanked the detective, slightly unsure of her sudden change of heart. Beckett returned to her desk and began to type when Castle sat in his usual spot.

"Letting him go, just like that?" He asked.

"Just like that." She said, not looking away from her computer screen as she typed.

"Right." Castle mumbled, playing with one the pens from his partner's desk. "So our next move?" Beckett silenced him by holding out a hand.

"Kate?" He enquired.

"Castle, Shhh!" He slumped back in his chair in a huff, crossing his arms. After a good ten minutes Beckett let out a loud noise, making Castle jump in his chair.

"Ha! Castle here, look here!" She went to turn the screen to him but he was already up and reading it over her shoulder, the smell of him filling her nostrils.

"What is it?" He asked, stumped as to what it was she was looking at.

"This is our next lead." Her eyes lit up, burning into his.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter twenty-one**

The Crown Vic skidded to a halt, throwing gravel flying. Beckett cut the engine and stepped from the vehicle, slamming her door shut in complete synchronisation with her passenger and partner. They had arrived at an old, run-down caravan park an hour outside the city. During the drive, Beckett explained to Castle that she had kept tabs on a particular case they worked earlier, which involved the attempted framing of the city's mayor. According to the updated files, the man convicted for that particular murder was released by the District Attorney. Likely due to the sweet talking talent held by those at Kindle and Moss. Still convinced that this killer was a link to her mother's murder, she kept tabs on him – abusing her power as a detective ever so slightly. Never the less, in doing so, she had traced his whereabouts to this particular caravan park, with the knowledge that he had used his credit card to pay for his supposed stay.

They approached a small and greasy old man at the reception desk. Beckett flashed her badge and he immediately looked up from what he was doing.

"Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. This is Mr. Castle" She announced, motioning towards Castle.

"How can I help?" He asked, putting down the pen he appeared to be doodling with.

"We were wondering if a Mr. Norris had checked in within the past two days." The man opened what appeared to be a ledger, running his fingers down a list.

"Ain't no Norris here." The man replied eventually. Beckett nodded, knowing this would possibly be the case. She reached into her jacket pocket and took out a photograph of the young man.

"This is the man. Have you seen him?"

"Him I've seen. Checked in last night and went straight to one of the cabins we have here. I haven't seen him since." The man explained slowly. Castle looked around the small room, noticing four hooks on the wall, three with keys hanging on them.

"Do you have a master key for these cabins?" Castle asked suddenly.

"I did."

"What do you mean you did?" Beckett asked, unsure of what Castle's question was aiming at but following him anyway.

"I must have misplaced it. I normally keep it on a hook underneath my desk here, but when I came in this morning, it was gone."

"What cabin is he in?" Beckett asked.

"Number three." With that, Beckett and Castle turned towards the cabins at the far end on the park.

Castle's brow was furrowed, gaining Kate's attention.

"What's wrong?" She asked softly.

"Is it possible this guy is in hiding?"

"How do you mean?" Beckett stopped walking and stood in front of Castle.

"Well if this Norris guy was paid to commit a murder in order to set up the mayor, is it possible he's now hiding from those guys who paid him in the first place."

"That's exactly why we're here."

"Him being out on bail offers the perfect opportunity to shut him up before he gets into court and exposes them." He added. She nodded and continued walking towards her cabin.

They reached the cabin with the faded painting of the number three. Both their nerves were set on edge when they approached the cabin. Beckett un-holstered her gun as she pushed on the already half open door. It made a creak as they both slowly entered the simple room, seemingly empty room. Castle trailed behind her as she raised her weapon as a precaution. After a quick sweep of the tiny bedroom, Beckett moved towards the even smaller bathroom.

"Castle!" She yelped. He rushed to her side quickly, taking in a sharp intake of breath when he saw what he did.

Blood slicked the once white tiles, leading a trail to the bath tub. Kate looked at Castle and then at the shower curtain that was pulled shut, a bloody handprint gracing it. Taking a deep breath and clutching her gun tightly, she took hold of the bloody curtain and moved it aside. Castle looked away abruptly from the site before them.

"Son of a bitch." Beckett muttered to herself, her eyes staying on the scene before her while she took out her phone. Castle looked at her, noticing immediately the tightness of her jaw and steely look in her eyes. It was the look that he recognised on her face from the first crime scene he attended with her. A look that said she was blocking any emotion from coming to light, and doing exactly what the job needed – procedure, order and a complete hunger for justice.

"This is Detective Beckett. Yes. I'm reporting a murder. That's correct..." Castle heard her say on the phone as he walked into the bedroom once again, escaping the gruesome sight that lay before them. After a few moments, Kate hung up the phone and followed Castle out into the bedroom. Her white face and wide eyes indicated to Castle that she was struggling internally with a tirade of emotions that he could only ever imagine. Instinctively, he put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her into a tight hug. Without resistance, she wrapped her arms around him and breathed deeply in an attempt to calm herself.

"You said we were close, Castle. But..." He stopped her mid-sentence.

"Kate. We are and you know it. Look, once others get here how about we head home and get some sleep, you nor I have slept in over forty-eight hours."

He was right; they were still in the same clothes they were wearing at Remy's.

"But Ca..." She tried to say, but stopped herself knowing he was completely right. They needed fresh eyes on this to make any sense of it all.

"Okay." She said finally.

She threw her keys down onto the island in his kitchen and headed straight towards his bedroom, followed by a sluggish Castle. Kate stepped into his bathroom and began to run the shower, holding her fingers under the scolding water. She stripped herself of her dust covered clothes and stood naked, her mind going blank as she stepped into the flow of the water. Motionless and blankly staring, she didn't notice when Castle entered the room.

"Kate?" He said tentatively, breaking her from her reverie. Her head snapped up, surprised by his voice.

"Hmm?"

"You've been in here nearly an hour. Everything okay?" Castle asked, concern on his face as he reached in to feel the temperature of the water, pulling away as the heat made contact with his hand.

"Jesus, Kate. The water is boiling." Reaching for the taps, he turned off the water and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her naked shoulders. Still in a daze, she barely noticed him taking her hand and leading her out of the shower. He wrapped another towel around her waist then began to dry her hair.

"Kate?" He asked, worried about her silence.

"Kate." He said again, more forceful this time in an attempt to break her from this daze.

She turned to him, her torso still bare, wrapping her arms around him and leaning into his broad chest.

"Sorry." She said.

"Oh, Kate." Castle sighed, placing a soft kiss onto her forehead and squeezing her tightly. They stayed like this, just embracing and breathing each other in, for nearly half an hour. Eventually, Castle got up and walked over to his chest of draws and pulled out a pair of Kate's pyjamas. After placing them on the bed in front of her, he headed towards the bathroom for short shower. When he returned to the room, Kate was fast asleep - not in the pyjamas that he had left out for her, but in one of his shirts and a pair of his boxers.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter twenty-two**

_Sorry readers, this is not an extremely exciting chapter and very sorry for the lack of updates as I have had exams and auditions. Anyhow, enjoy! _

"Castle!" She screamed. Castle sat bolt upright, pulled from his slumber quickly by her desperate screams. He awoke to find her thrashing beside him, soaked in sweat and tears.

"Shit." Castle exclaimed, never having seen Kate look so vulnerable in all his life. He reached a hand over and placed it on her damp shoulder, shaking her gently. "Kate." He said quietly, attempting to wake her from the horrors of the dreamland she was in. Kate continued to thrash around, whimpers sounding from her causing Castle's heart to break just that little bit more.

"Castle!" She screamed again, fresh tears streaming down her face. Castle had no choice but to grab her strongly but the shoulders and shake her out of this nightmare. Her screaming turned into sobbing as she opened her eyes to reality.

"Cas...Castle. I...I'm sor..." She sobbed.

"Shh, Kate. It's okay, I'm here." He soothed as she fell into his arms crying uncontrollably. He rubbed gentle circles down the length of spine until she eventually fell silent. After what felt like an age, Castle shifted to get up, thinking Kate was once again asleep. He was pulled back down by the tightening of her arms around his chest however and she looked up at him sleepily with her large hazel-green eyes.

"Sorry, I was just going to get you a glass of water." He said softly, rubbing her back in reassurance. She nodded and nuzzled herself further into his chest. They sat huddled in silence, breathing in deeply the night air.

"I thought you were gone. I thought I'd lost you. Again." She said, breaking the peaceful silence between them. Castle squeezed her in his arms once again thinking _There's been a lot of that thought going around lately. _

"No. Never." Was all he said.

"It was so real." Kate continued, her eyes clouding over with the memory of her nightmare.

Castle untangled himself from her arms and turned to face her, his hands making their way up to grace the sides of her face. Her eyes searching his, like she was still unsure that this was reality.

"I'm here, Kate. Okay?" He said firmly. She conceded, falling into his arms once more and letting out a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Castle." She said after another bout of silence. He turned onto his side and faced her, his crystal blue eyes still clouded with worry.

"Does it happen often?" He asked curiously, having never seen her so distressed.

"It...it hasn't since we...well since I've been with you." She tried to explain, staring up at the bedroom ceiling. Castle just nodded and took her hand into his, pulling her gently so she would face him. Her eyes met his once again, causing him to gasp with surprise. Everything was there to see – every little bit of pain she had ever felt, was laid out in front of him in her large, cloudy eyes.

"Castle?" Beckett asked, confused by his silence. Snapping out of it, he squeezed her hand tightly.

"What can I do?" Castle asked delicately. Kate turned her head to the side slightly, unsure of what the question was regarding.

"What can I do for you, Kate? To make things okay for you. " He asked again, his blue eyes bore into hers. This selflessness he was currently offering to her, made her heart soar. Despite his occasional arrogant and pig-headed ways, this was the side of Castle she loved so much. The part of him that was willing to give away anything just to ease the struggle of others surrounding him, made him truly remarkable.

"This." She said, her voice deepening as she leaned in slowly to kiss him.

Hours later, they awoke like they had like so many other recent mornings with legs tangled and hair mussed. Kate sat up and followed her usual routine of throwing on Castle's shirt and walking out to the kitchen to make coffee. It was high pitched yell that woke Castle from his slumber soon after.

"Kate!" Martha yelled, throwing Beckett into one of her grandiose hugs. Castle ran into the room with a look of shock on his face at the sudden yell, wearing only boxer shorts (that he did not put on before he went to bed).

"Don't you two ever answer your damned phones?" Martha continued loudly.

"What? Mother, what are you talking about?" Castle asked roughly, still waking up. Martha stormed to the television and turned it on, flicking until finding a news channel. Scenes of the Remy's shootout taken from a helicopter filled the screen. Castle's mouth hung open as he realised that in all the time since the shootout, he had not contacted his family to tell them he was okay.

"That's my fault, Martha." Kate jumped in as Castle still stood there with his mouth open at this realisation. "I was so intent on jumping in on finding our next lead that I didn't give Castle any time to think about anything else. I'm sorry, Martha." Martha softened slightly at Kate's words.

"Sorry, Mother." Castle mumbled, looking down at his feet. Kate smiled slightly at Castle who looked like a little boy as his mother chastised him.

"Oh come here, darling." Martha eventually said, opening her arms to her son.

On the way to the station, Castle checked all twenty various worried messages from his mother and daughter. Beckett checked hers as they arrived and got out of the crown vic, the sound of her dad's voice graced her ears.

"Castle, do you mind if I..." She trailed off as Castle nodded, knowing she needed desperately to call her father, who was more than likely to be worried sick. After a few minutes of a conversation filled with reassurances and heartfelt apologies, Beckett hung up her phone, seeming a little more drained after doing so.

"Shall we?" Castle asked, nodding towards the elevator. Kate took his hand and squeezed it slightly, letting go just before the doors slid open to present the pair with absolute chaos.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter twenty-three**

Officers and detectives alike bustled around the bullpen with a feverish pace; their loud voices filled the air in a deafening manner. Over the ruckus, Beckett noticed the Captain motioning to her and Castle.

"Detective." Gates addressed Beckett as they approached. "Mr. Castle." She added dryly.

"Sir." Kate and Castle responded in sync.

"Join me." The Captain opened her office door to the pair. They did as they were requested to and joined Captain Gates in her office, saying nothing as they watched her sit behind paperwork covered desk.

"So." Gates began. "I take it you both are well rested?" She asked, glancing at the two over the top of her glasses.

"Yes Sir." Beckett replied, avoiding eye contact with her partner next to her.

"Excellent." She said, shuffling papers. "Detective Beckett, I believe you're both well versed in our workings in previous times with the FBI?" Both Castle and Kate looked at each immediately and then back at Gates.

"Sir?" Beckett questioned, curious as to where this was going. Just as more questions began forming in her and Castle's mind, Agent Jordan Shaw opened the door behind them, poking her head into the office.

"Agent Shaw!" Beckett exclaimed.

"Detective! Mr Castle, it's so good to see you again." Shaw replied as she entered the office shaking hands with the pair and exchanging pleasantries. Gates cleared her throat loudly breaking the welcoming. The three turned towards the captain, apologising for getting distracted.

"We have called upon the services of the FBI once again as I believe they may be instrumental in solving the mysteries surrounding your own shooting and personal attacks. Detective, your thoughts on this cooperation?" Gates explained. Beckett looked at Castle and then to Gates, nodding slowly; seeing no issues in teaming up with the great Agent Shaw once again.

"Excellent. Now, I have received all evidence and the report from the murder you two stumbled upon yesterday. However, I am willing to pass this one onto another detective as you work with Shaw and her team." Gates said, holding up a file in her hand which no doubt contained photos of the grim scene the couple witnessed the previous day. "However, seeing as you two were at the scene before it was called, I imagine you know something that I do not. So please, enlighten me as to why you were at the crime scene yesterday." She said, looking somewhat unimpressed by the lack of communication between them.

Beckett began to explain to the Captain that Norris was involved in a case they had previously investigated and was a client of the law firm they suspected were covering up the mess that revolved around Kate Beckett's life.

"So, his release on bail was suspicious to you?" Gates asked. Shaw stood, listening to the entirety of the conversation without making a sound.

"It was an open and shut case. We think somebody paid to have him released so he couldn't testify against whoever ordered him to set up the mayor."

"And then they killed him just to make sure he was silent?" Gates interjected.

"Exactly."

"Oh my God!" Castle exclaimed, rushing from the room. Everybody's heads swung to follow him as he ran towards Kate's computer, frowns of confusion on their faces. After a few moments, Gates shrugged and motioned for the detective and incredibly confused agent to follow him.

"Castle?" Beckett asked, approaching him slowly.

"The mayor!" Castle said excitedly. Taking in the bewildered looks on the faces of the two women in front of him, he typed hurriedly and then pointed to the screen. On it, were four faces- three men and one woman, all vying for the same position that the mayor did not obtain (due to the bad press surrounding his campaign).

"Castle, I don..."

"One of them is behind this whole thing? Is that what you're saying?" Shaw cut in.

"Exactly. It all makes sense now. Somebody in a position of political power did this. All of this. Your mother, your shooting, the attacks and the setting up of the mayor." Castle mused.

"Castle, that's a huge accusation to make. I mean you can't go sniffing around the feet of Senator's unless you have foolproof evidence. At this stage, we have nothing."

"We could start with the latest murder. What do we know about that?" Castle asked, turning to Shaw who now had the folder in hands regarding the demise of Mr. Norris.

"Well first, it wasn't a professional hit like the others. This was sloppy." Beckett jumped in; leaning against her desk next to Castle, keep a distance from him so as not to give away anything.

"It's true." Shaw said, her brow furrowed as she flipped through the photos of the crime scene and victim. Castle stood and looked over the agent's shoulder, attempting to remain objective and not remember every tiny detail of what they walked in on in that hotel room.

"Well, the guys he would have called on to do the job were probably the two men in the standoff at Remy's." Kate chimed in. Castle nodded solemnly, another reminder of a day he'd rather forget.

"Or she." Castle piped up.

"Huh?" Both women turned to him.

"You said 'the guys _he _would have called on'. It could have been a she." He said as he took the seat at the computer once more, pointing and tapping on the image of the smiling women on the screen in front of him. Normally, Beckett would have pulled a gun on him for touching her computer, let alone the screen. Now all she wanted to do was kiss him for being such a genius.

Shaw cleared her throat, pulling Kate from her reverie. She realised she'd been staring at Castle, and began to blush violently hoping that she hadn't given their relationship away to the agent.

"So, um, woman. Yes. Could be a woman." Kate said, trying to regain some professionalism. A tiny grin spread across the agents face but was quelled as she looked down at the next photo in her hand.

"What is that?"


End file.
